First Taste: Chef brings Caribbean Fusion to Scottsdale
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 by Jess Harter
“Oxtail, huh?” one of my lunch companions says as he suspiciously eyes a small piece of the bony meat I’ve offered to share. “Uh, no thanks. I think I’ll stick with what I ordered.”
It’s his loss. The beef medallions (pictured at right), braised to draw maximum flavor from the bone and marrow, are delicious.
Then again, I suspect many East Valley diners are unaware of the remarkable diversity of Caribbean food, which counts French, African and Indian among its many influences.
It’s not entirely their fault. There isn’t exactly an abundance of Caribbean restaurants in the East Valley.
Fortunately, Damian Muir (pictured below) has increased that small number by one. The Jamaican-born chef and his wife, Elisa, recently opened their first restaurant, Caribbean Fusion, in the former Scottsdale Road strip-mall space vacated earlier this year by Twisted.