Harry’s Daughter in Jersey City Is Great for Jerk Chicken and Brunch | Eater NY
"With woven-basket chandeliers and graphic green fronds that give the room a welcome Caribbean air, this spot (at 339 Communipaw Avenue) was founded in 2017 by Irish actor Alasdair Cotter and Trinidadian fashion designer Ria Ramkissoon and is named for Ramkissoon’s father, whose postcard portrait—suit, tie and pompadour—evokes a V.S. Naipaul novel. Located in Bergen-Lafayette three blocks from Liberty State Park, we encountered an eclectic, neighborhood crowd—Caribbean families, tattooed millennial couples and other locals—that made downtown Jersey City feel like pre-corporate Williamsburg; Cotter even stopped by our table as we were about to order. Brunch divides into Jamaican dishes, Trinidadian sandwiches (bakes) and traditional offerings: appetizers are often fried and tempting (jerk chicken egg rolls, coconut shrimp with a sprightly fruit salsa, and very salty salt cod fritters), the bakes arrive on round yeast “fry bakes” with pickled vegetables (we had the herring, a flaky, smoky fish salad), and the entrees are humongous—the jerk chicken is righteously spicy with a Worcestershire-forward flavor and meat that pulls from the bone without overcooking, the chicken-and-waffles features heavily breaded boneless chicken with a perfect, bouncy, huge waffle, and the mac and cheese comes bubbling in a cast-iron skillet. I wanted to try the goat curry from the regular menu but was told brunch is a separate, more complicated service; dinner does offer jerk chicken, oxtail stew, and curries of chicken, goat, shrimp and vegetables. As a corner bar that happens to serve great food, the drink list is comprehensive—Guinness, Red Stripe and the local Jersey City 902 Brewing HHH IPA on draft, a wine selection that leans to reds and sparklers (including a chilled Lambrusco), classic brunch cocktails by the glass or pitcher, and well-conceived $14 signature cocktails that often mix island rums (Ria’s rum punch, a Hawaiian Hot Stepper with scotch bonnet tequila and passion fruit puree, and a watermelon jalapeño margarita). Sit in the back room to peer over a short wall into the bustling kitchen, arrive around noon on weekend days to avoid the rush, and look forward to picnic tables outside when the weather warms up." - Robert Sietsema
