DISH OF THE WEEK: Jerk Fried Wings at GLADY’S

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

SADLY, GLADY’S IS NOW CLOSED.

Michael Jacober is an extraordinary chef. He launched my favorite grilled cheese sandwich truck (Morris) and opened a New American restaurant called Glady’s in the quickly gentrifying neighborhood of Crown Heights.

But when he announced he would be changing the concept at Glady’s to a rustic Caribbean restaurant last year, I had my doubts. This is a white American Jewish guy attempting to cook authentic Caribbean food in a neighborhood populated with people from the islands. The only words that came to mind were “recipe for disaster.”

Yet Glady’s in its most recent form is a hit. The critics have raved and the crowds are out the door. And amazingly, those crowds are mixed with gentrifying hipsters and the Caribbean community that has been here for years. So Michael must be doing something right.

His jerk chicken was as good as any I’ve ever tasted (rivaling my favorite at Veronica’s Kitchen) and stood up well to a plate of sweet fried plantains and smoky bok choy. I found the curry goat to be just a little tough, but the rich flavors were excellent.

I was disappointed that they were out of the jerk pork, but because they were, we decided to get an order of the jerk fried wings. This might have been the best decision we made all night (aside from walking in the door). The wings were sticky and sweet with a backbone of that smoky, spicy jerk heat. Each piece of meat just fell right off the bone yet held on tight to lots of flavor. On the side was not blue cheese, but a sweet, spicy dipping sauce.

I also appreciated that these were not gentrified prices. We walked out stuffed to the gills (and with leftovers) for $20 each. Sometimes it takes an outsider to come into the neighborhood to re-invigorate the food and teach you to not judge a book by its cover.