I was actually just going to do a write up of a pop up I recently got takeout from that’s operating out of Sqirl’s kitchen Saturday-Monday through the end of March.
The operation, Rubie, is from Chef Gian Scott, who has cooked at Providence, Salare, and Junebaby. The menu consists of a couple patties, oxtail stew, a jerk pulled pork sandwich, and 1/2 smoked jerk chicken.
I’ve been on a chicken run recently, so I picked up the chicken, which comes with coconut rice and peas, collard greens, and festival bread. It easily serves two people, as the half chicken was absolutely massive and it sits on top of a mound of rice and greens.
I may be burying this, but if you’ve made it this far, let me tell you this was absolutely astounding. The chicken was incredibly flavorful with the warm, savory, spicy jerk seasoning caked onto crispy skin. The meat itself was juicy and ready to eat, even though it came with reheating instructions. I’d try to eat it as soon as possible to avoid potentially screwing up something perfect.
Getting past the chicken, the collard greens are slow braised with some aromatics and are perhaps the best collard greens I’ve ever had. I normally find them forgettable versus other sides, but they had a depth of flavor I found absolutely delicious.
But, the real stunner here is the coconut rice and peas. Seasoned with a hint of brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon, what really brought this up to insurmountable heights was that they let the juice from the chicken flow down into the rice. While everything else in this container was great, it’s the humble rice and peas that have me planning my next meal.
The whole 1/2 smoked chicken package also comes with festival bread, which is like a blue cornmeal doughnut with a slightly sweet vanilla taste.
Orders can be placed day of through Sqirl’s Toast system or Postmates.
I highly recommend checking this out if you’re in the mood.