Elijah’s Palace - A Trip to The West Indies
543 Broadway at Jefferson in Buffalo
by Mike Niman and Laura McClusky
Buffalo Gazette Culinary Arts Critics

There’s a tiny West Indian island on the corner of Broadway and Jefferson that goes by the name of Elijah’s Palace and the food is great! This newly opened restaurant specializes in those tempting spicy delights you might find in Jamaica or Trinidad, but there’s no hassle or expensive air fare.

There’s also plenty of soul food on the menu, so you won’t feel homesick! Portions are filling and the taste superb. We tried the Oxtail Stew ($7.99) and the Jerk Chicken ($7.99 King size, $6.99 Queen size). The oxtail was spiced just right and tasted fantastic with potatoes, various other vegetables and a supply of oxtail. The Jerk chicken was delicious, although a tad salty. They both are prepared authentic island style, so mind the bones as the meat is chopped, bones and all.

Other tempting meals include Stew Chicken, Stew Fish (red snapper), Curry Chicken, Fried, Baked or Barbeque Chicken. Each night Elijah offers a special, ranging in price from $6.50 to $9.99. Each sounds more delicious than the next; Barbeque Ribs, Meatloaf, Lasagna, Rotisserie Chicken, Curry Goat, Fish Fry and Stew Beef. So you know there’s always something good cooking at the Palace! Just a tiny word of warning however, this food is traditional West Indian food, which means watch out for tiny bone splinters!

As usual, each meal comes with a choice of sides. We chose the red beans and rice, and the macaroni and cheese. The red beans and rice were cooked just right and abundant. The mac and cheese was very cheddary, delicious and again abundant. Other sides include broccoli, yellow rice, cabbage, mixed vegetable, corn on the cob, Johnny Cake, potato salad and tossed salad. You can make a meal of just sides if you want, each is sold a la carte. Elijah’s Palace also makes their own Patties, surely delicious if our experience with dinner was any indication: Beef ($1.50), Chicken ($1.65) and Vegetable ($1.99) Patties are all available. Elijah also offers Chicken Noodle, Split Pea and Cowfoot Soup (small $1.99, large $4.50). They’ll sound really good as the wintery weather creeps up on us.

Elijah’s Palace offers a full line of traditional bottled Caribbean beverages, including, of course, Ginger Beer ($1.49), Irish Moss ($2.59), Ting ($1.49), Carrot Juice ($3.75) and Ashanti Root Drink ($3.09). You can also sit and enjoy a cappuccino ($1.69) or hot chocolate ($.89) with a good variety of delicious deserts.

So stop by and visit this little island paradise and enjoy some good hearty food. If you can’t make it out, Elijah will deliver 852-4753, or fax your order 845-6133 (free delivery to businesses). This little tropical island is open Mon-Thurs 11am-11pm, Fri and Sat 11am - 4am and Sunday 11am-8pm. As it reads on the menu; "Taste as if you were almost there!"

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