Metro Pulse/Restaruant Rover/Tradewinds

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Tradewinds
113 North Peters Road
560-9100

by Connie Seuer

Davis-Kidd has been gone for a long time now. It was a great bookstore, and although it took a while to drive to, it offered a truly knowledgeable staff and a broad selection that always surprised me considering the store's limited square footage. At long last, its absence has been filled. No, no, there's not an independent bookstore moving in. Instead, the digs have been fully renovated to accommodate a new culinary endeavor, Tradewinds.

Heinrich and I were very skeptical of a Caribbean restaurant in the heart of West Knoxville—so skeptical that we simply had to take the plunge. And I'm pleased to report that beyond the beachfront décor (which was hard to be swooned by on a soggy, shivery November night), and the Hawaiian shirts festooning the staff, Tradewinds has done its best—and a mighty good best it is—to capture the tastiest of island fare.

We sat roughly in the middle of the photography books section, ahem, I mean, in the middle of the non-smoking section, located under a cabana-roofed riser in the back area of the dining room. For entertainment, in addition to the reggae and steel drum on the stereo, we had clear view of the shining and spotless kitchen. Our server, a young friendly fellow with a broad smile and a conscientious brand of honesty, was quick to recommend a pitcher of rum-rich hurricanes. Seeing as Heinrich's not much into mixed drinks, and I was driving, we couldn't do a pitcher. However, a tall, top shelf margarita ($6.95) sounded just right.

So what exactly is Caribbean food? Black beans and rice, fruity chutneys, yep, they're there, but as far as Tradewinds is concerned, island food is a much broader category than one might have imagined. The small plates alone occupy two full columns on the menu, featuring teasers like cherry pepper hummous ($3.95) and Ginger's crab cakes ($7.95) served with a refreshing, ginger-touched hollandaise. I'd been anticipating lots of black beans and rice and was excited to read of a new way to enjoy frijoles negros—Blackbeard's bean fritters ($4.95), basically hushpuppies but much better with the additions of black beans, corn, and a side of cilantro sour cream.

Heinrich took a chance on the rich lobster quesadilla ($8.95) and discovered an amazingly not over-cheesed, not over-sauced starter capable of showcasing its starring lobster as well as its

fresh peppers, onions, mushrooms, and a finely diced tomato salsa. After a quesadilla a- piece, we looked at each other with shamed faces...our pre-dinner skepticism was most undeserved.

Entrées, equally plentiful as the appetizers, were a difficult decision. I was lured by the coriander crusted tuna seared rare ($13.95) and its accompanying peanut sauce, but after bean fritters and lobster quesadilla, I opted for the lighter raiderette shrimp ($10.95). One sword of jerk shrimp over buttery rice would be enough for me. But the raiderette also comes with a choice of any side dish, and as starchy as it sounds, the ginger mash potatoes were too intriguing for me to wave past. And the spuds were no disappointment, offering a light spark of ginger just right for easy sailing with any entrée.

Heinrich chose perhaps the most clever (or corny) item on the menu, "Angus Shreds ($10.95) Any die-hard AC/DC fan would agree." I admit it made me chuckle, but the dish itself made me salivate. Slow-roasted and shredded beef, tossed with mushrooms, onions, and peppers atop flavorful rice was transformed into a deliciously "dirty deed" when dressed with its accompanying sangria-infused brown gravy.

I believe I shared only one of my shrimp with Heinrich, as they were jerked and grilled to a state of greedy goodness. But my lack of generosity didn't impede my jumping to Heinrich's plate to sample the pulled beef. Cooked well and sauced up with the gravy, it was a big dish ample for sharing (or stealing).

But of all things, the unassuming little bowl of jicama slaw, ordered as a side to the Angus Shreds, was one of our favorite things Tradewinds had to offer. Crisp and slender slivers of jicama, carrot, and slight red onion were lightly tossed with a tad of crème and celery seed to create a cooling, and crunchy, charmer.

As for dessert, I must recommend indulging in one of the coconut sweets. Tradewinds offers a voodoo chocolate cake ($4.50) but a much better complement to any of their dishes would be the frittered fresh pineapples, with coconut ice cream, drizzled with a warm pineapple rum sauce ($4.50). Or perhaps the more sublime coconut macadamia tart ($4.95): topping a chocolate-trickled plate appears a rich, coconut crème tart covered in the sweet snow of long, thick coconut curls and macadamia halves.

After our brief sojourn to the land of "no worries mon," it was difficult to re-enter the cold, wet, and care-less world of the parking lot and Kingston Pike traffic. But lucky for us, just like the bookstore that used to occupy its cornerstone location, Tradewinds offers many a reason to make a return voyage.