Bamboo

Bamboo's understated island ambiance and tongue-tingling menu makes it a neighborhood favorite for Caribbean cuisine. While the interior boasts a cozy wine bar, opt for the greenery-trimmed patio (with heat lamps). A slimmed-down appetizer menu offers soups, salads, and half a dozen chewy-crust mini pizzas. The Roma tomato and fresh buffalo mozzarella Bamboo salad is the perfect starter to the tangy entree menu, which features meat, poultry and seafood dishes doused in various spices. The skinless, marinated Yucatan chicken breast carries the simple flavor-punch of Indian black pepper, while the Caribbean garlic and tomato sauce drips over both a swordfish and shrimp entree. A toughened steak is forgiven by virtue of its tangy garlic-heavy Caribbean spices and fresh herbs. The requisite sides include black beans, whipped potatoes and chunks of tasty fried plantains. A slim dessert and wine-by-the-glass menu could use some bolstering.