Teddy’s Roti Shop, web site, 7304 Georgia Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-882-6488. (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Washingtonian | MenuPages | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp]
Any of the rotis with goat are superb, make sure they put some of the spicy sauce in it (you have to ask). Get the buss-up-shut. The pumpkin is first-rate. The soups are very good. The “shark and bake” is a Trinidadian classic and it is pretty good here. The “Boiled Provisions” [sic] are only so-so. Ask about the fruit juices. This part of town used to be run down but now it is quite nice. This place is definitely recommended. For authenticity it gets an A+. And if you like a proprietor who is chatty and will tell you what to do, make that A++.
I’ve just finished a take-out meal from Teddy’s, and it wasn’t so good.
The oxtail was bland – much less spicy, both in terms of heat and flavour, than I’m used to. And the oxtail pieces were tiny – I haven’t seen such small oxtail before! The meat was accordingly scarce.
The jerk chicken was dry – must have been oven a bit too long. And this too, had no heat. Where were the Jamaican peppers?
Finally, the goat roti was fine. My only complaint would be that it was too greasy. I’ve had better, but it was okay.
Oh, and we had some fried plantains. Again, greasy, but there’s not much you can do if you deep fry them. I tend to prefer them done on a skillet, as I’ve had at a few West Indian restaurants.
So, unfortunately, I wouldn’t go again. I’ll stick to Whole Foods for oxtail and plantains, for now.
But, yes, I might pop in to chat with the proprietor!