"Some restaurants end up setting the standard for the type of food they specialize in, and Cool Runnings Jamaican Grill is one of those places. The Brays Oaks restaurant serves perfect versions of classic Jamaican dishes, and nothing can contain the power of its brown stew chicken. Cool Runnings is primarily a takeout operation—at any given time, the front is buzzing with people in line for ackee and saltfish, jerk chicken, and curry goat. But we like to hang out with our food in the deceptively large dining room. Maybe it’s the funky reggae music filling the air, or the uncles at the bar shooting the breeze and sipping Red Stripe beer, but Cool Runnings is the kind of a place people should plan to stay awhile. On the right night, you might have dinner while DJs spin classic dancehall hits. As relaxed as the environment is, the food is all business. Orders are placed at the takeout counter (even if you’re dining in), and you’ll receive your meal in a styrofoam tray that’s filled to the brim. Dishes like oxtail and jerk chicken are served beside mounds of rice and peas and caramelized plantain. Every piece of meat that comes from the kitchen is loaded with flavor, and the rice and peas serve as a sponge to soak up any gravy left behind. And whether it’s bathing in a rich curry or doused in a scotch bonnet-gravy, the chicken here is impossibly tender and absorbs every bit of flavor—especially the spicy sweetness of the brown stew chicken. We don’t need an excuse to come to Cool Runnings. A trip here makes as much sense for a dinner with a group of pals as a quick lunch of beef patties wedged between fluffy cocoa bread. When it comes to making the classics shine, few other restaurants in Houston can do them justice like this counter-service spot hiding in a strip mall. " - Gianni Greene
