“Modern Caribbean Restaurant St. James Opens Today” on 14th Street

photo courtesy Melena DeFlorimonte

From a press release:

“Jeanine Prime is proud to announce the long-awaited opening of St. James, a modern Caribbean restaurant located at 2017 14th Street, NW in Washington, DC. The 67-seat dining room features dishes celebrating the diversity of Caribbean cuisine along with creative cocktails and a thoughtful wine list, all designed to pair with the flavor profiles of the food. The modern Caribbean cuisine at St. James is reflective of the region’s melting pot of cultures, boasting African, East Indian, Chinese, Portuguese and French influences and is a collaborative effort between Prime, Cane culinary veteran Emma Hernandez, and Alfredo Romero Contreras, St. James’ newly appointed chef, who joins the team from Fiola Mare. St. James features a 14-seat bar with plans for a 12-seat seasonal patio in the coming months. Opening is planned for Tuesday, May 17, with dinner service starting at 5:30 p.m.

photo courtesy Melena DeFlorimonte

“The opening of St. James has been a long time coming and I’m so excited to officially open our doors,” said owner Jeanine Prime. “The food and history of the Caribbean is rich and diverse and I’m proud to celebrate and share them,” she continued. “It was an honor to work with Emma and Alfredo to build modern interpretations of the food I grew up eating in Trinidad and throughout the Caribbean. The path to opening has had its challenges but I’m so proud of our team’s hard work and efforts and look forward to showcasing a Caribbean menu through a fresh, new lens.”

photo courtesy Melena DeFlorimonte

The menu is designed for guests to taste and share a variety of items such as Callaloo Soup ($16), which is enjoyed throughout the Caribbean region and made with pureed spinach, chilies, coconut milk, and topped with lump crab meat. Provisions with Salt Cured Pork ($16), a play on a dish known throughout the Caribbean as “Oil Down,” features breadfruit, yams, taro, and pork lardons in a coconut milk sauce. Salt cod, brought to the region by Portuguese settlers, can be ordered as fried fritters and served with tamarind mayo, Accras ($10), or in crudo form as Salt Cod Crudo ($20) made with house salt-cured black cod and aji-scotch bonnet chili purees. Larger plates highlight a variety of proteins: Crab and Dumplings ($30) made with soft-shell crab, Trini-style taro dumplings and a coconut curry sauce, Pepper Shrimp ($30) whole jumbo shrimp served with a scotch bonnet and pimento chili sauce and creamy coo coo (a corn-based puree); and a Paratha Platter ($60) featuring an assortment of duck, beef, and vegetable curries served with murtani (a spicy mix of roasted okra, tomatoes, eggplant and garlic) and paratha bread.

photo courtesy Melena DeFlorimonte

Prime enlisted the help of childhood friend and fellow Trinidadian, Winnette McIntosh Ambrose, owner of award-winning Capitol Hill bakery The Sweet Lobby and Souk, for St. James’ dessert selection. Chocolate Mousse ($9) from McIntosh Ambrose is infused with ginger and served with coffee cream and chocolate pearls. She also has perfected, and provides daily, the choux pastry that serves as a base for the restaurant’s Profiteroles ($9) which are served with a choice of house-made, tropical-inspired ice cream flavors like coconut and bananas foster.

photo courtesy Melena DeFlorimonte

The cocktail program, featuring flavors and ingredients of the Caribbean, is overseen by Glendon Hartley of Service Bar and Causa. Hartley, whose parents hail from Trinidad, also oversees the wine list, all of which embody flavor profiles that stand up well to the dynamic flavors of the food. The Pineapple Chow ($13), inspired by the popular Trinidadian street food of the same name, is made with Angostura White Oak Trinidadian rum, pineapple, shadon beni (culantro), black pepper and lime. Other options include the West Indian Old Fashioned ($16) made with a blend of Caribbean rum, curry-chai tea and cocoa bitters and the St. James Spritz ($13) with Wray & Nephew Jamaican rum, hibiscus, sparkling wine, Jamaican cream soda and citrus. Non-alcoholic options feature a Scotch Bonnet Fizz ($8) made with scotch bonnet, bell pepper, citrus, and soda, Banana Soda ($8) banana, citrus and soda and Mauby ($8) made with Mauby tea, a sweet tea made from a bitter bark of Mauby tea, citrus and soda.

photo courtesy Melena DeFlorimonte

Named after a district in Trinidad’s capital, Port of Spain, St. James is a cultural center of the island representing a confluence of the country’s multi-ethnic traditions. The dining room is open and airy with whitewashed exposed brick and natural wood exposed beams that are accented with a chartreuse tiled bar and tropical plants. Brass lighting warms the space, while the walls are adorned with black and white photography from Trinidad and a mural from D.C. based artist, Rodrigo Pradel. St. James is open for dinner service Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30 to 10:30 and Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 to 11:30.”

2017 14th Street, NW

Ed. Note: This is the former Quarter + Glory space which closed in 2018.