September 11-17, 2003

food

Island Chain

SAND, SEA AND PIE: With tiles as golden as its pastry crusts, GK plays up the palm-tree aesthetic at its Upper Darby location. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Caribbean-style Golden Krust takes fast food into untested waters.

by Elisa Ludwig

American fast food occupies an oddly narrow range of options: A creative twist on the menu usually has something to do with ranch dressing and bacon, and foreign lands are evoked only in the names of certain hamburgers. But every now and then, a Teriyaki Boy-type place comes along and shakes up the scene. We have such an insurgent in Golden Krust, the "Caribbean Bakery & Grill" that opened in the Bronx in the late í80s and is now steadily popping out franchises around the country -- three recently in Philadelphia (all owned by Desirene Freeman). At GK, there are no burgers, subs or fries. GK is a countertop, takeout-only operation that serves oxtail stew and curried chicken at a BK pace. Itís a whole new concept for fast food, with plenty of crisp vegetables and meat that actually comes on the bone.

In fact, escoveitch fish came whole, head and tail included. I can't remember the last time I was at a fast food joint that unabashedly presented fish as fish, and not some highly processed, heavily disguised unit of sandwich filler. Eating a whole fish may be a bit of a chore, but it's hard not to appreciate this honest -- dare I say bold -- presentation. This was a kingfish, cooked in vinegar-hot pepper sauce and accompanied by pickled crinkle-cut carrots, and it was worth the work.

The specialty at the Krust is the patty, the Jamaican hand-held pastry that is usually stuffed with meat or vegetables or some combination thereof. GK proclaims their patty to be the best and they are available in pre-packed frozen boxes, even in miniature "cocktail" size. Golden Krust, Inc. also sells them wholesale to the New York public school system, among others. The crust is particularly golden on the beef and chicken patties, which have a curry-tinged pastry. The newly introduced jerk chicken patty, like most of the others on the menu, has a pale crust that is denser and less flaky in texture. All of the meat fillings are finely ground and heavily spiced, with the beef proving the tastiest of the bunch. Perhaps GK's reputation raised our expectations, or perhaps it is simply a function of being a mass-produced factory item, but all told, these were not particularly impressive patties. Still, patties are convenient bundles of snack and none of these are more than $1.75, with most costing $1.35.

Another low-cost dish is GK's chicken rôti. Their version is different from the rôti you typically see in Jamaican restaurants, where the thin pancake is rolled up with the filling in a tight spiral. This one was a more open affair, with the pancake serving as a sort of bowl for the curried filling of rather significantly sized pieces of stewed chicken.

While the patties and the rôti cost less than a cup of espresso, the platters are Golden Krust's biggest value. A "small" offers a huge serving of an entree, plus cabbage, steamed vegetables, rice, peas and plantains. My favorite was the brown stew chicken, which had a rich, fragrant gravy and meat that fell off the bone in tender chunks. It's also possible to get the favored choice of cheap-but-gluttonous eaters everywhere -- the numbered combo meal. These come with varying portions of jerk chicken, festival cornmeal fritters and rice, a boon for the on-the-go jerk-lovers among us.

We topped our GK experience off with some selections from the cooler full of Caribbean beverages -- sorrel juice, ginger beer and Ting soda. We couldn't leave without sampling a couple of pastry desserts, which, together with the patties, complete the "bakery" half of the operation. GK actually has an outrageous number of them, many suitably shocking to American eaters, like the raisin bread and cheddar cheese sandwich.

Of the bountiful buns, loaves and cakes, we tried the gizzarda. Having nothing in common with animal innards but its name, this little pie was the shape of a sun and filled with a soft, sweetened ginger-coconut center. We also tried a rolled pastry made from phyllo dough and filled with coconut. This one was a bit denser and the dough was less flavorful. Next time, I plan to diversify my choices more effectively.

GK, 60 locations and growing, is making a play for the golden arches in our hearts. In fact, at the Upper Darby location, where the McDonald's next door was doing a steady drive-through business, I began to have bigger visions for Golden Krust -- playgrounds, children's meals with prizes and action movie marketing tie-ins. But I'll leave these innovations up to the franchise owners.

GOLDEN KRUST

125 South 69th St., 610-352-5292; 141 South 52nd St., 215-747-2060; 5600 N. Broad St., 215-224-8225

Appetizers, $1.35-$3; entrees, $3.50-$9

Hours vary at each location; call for times.

Takeout only.