Happy Tuesday! I don’t know about you, but I’m glad my gully-washer of a Monday is over. So. Much. Rain.

Apparently I’m really bad about posting timely restaurant reviews because I’m just now getting around to sharing last month’s Labor Day weekend experience at Montego’s Caribbean Café and Bar.

I guess I’m busier than I let on.

Anyway, the original Montego’s is located in West Mobile and has been open for some time (years), but we never gave them a taste until they opened a satellite location downtown.

The physical location is incredible (located near Bienville Square and in the heart of the Dauphin Street Entertainment District), but it’s seen a couple failures over the years (due to poor management and declining quality, from my personal experience).

If our sampling at Montego’s is any indication—which I’m saying it is—then this location should stay busy for many years to come.

Let’s move on to the meal.

Mark began with one of their many craft beer options (at this point, I can’t remember which) and I had the house margarita on the rocks.

Bazooka—well, he just chilled in his stroller and noshed on veggie straws.

Our waitress was really friendly, answering any questions Mark had about the beers (and offering him samples at the bar) and recommending her favorite dishes.

The margarita was enjoyable. It wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it didn’t taste like a cheap mix either. If it had been dinnertime (instead of lunch), I might’ve ordered another.

We were hungry, but not starving, so we chose to split an appetizer (crab cake balls with remoulade) and an entrée (blackened fish tacos, with a side of cheese grits).

The food came out speedily.

We inhaled the crab cakes, which were fluffy and light. You could tell they didn’t contain a lot of meat, but it still had that delicious crab flavor. The spicy remoulade was a winning accompaniment.

We really enjoyed the fish tacos. For once, the blackening seasoning tasted like something other than plain ol’ salt. So many local restaurants are heavy-handed with the salt, so we generally avoid blackened seafood. This was perfect, however, and the grilled pineapple, slaw, crisp cucumber, and cilantro-lime cream complimented the fish quite well. The grits were your basic grits with cheese; decent, but nothing extraordinary.

Since Montego’s is a Caribbean restaurant, I’m anxious to try some of their jerk chicken and other classic menu items. Based on our meal, the food is affordable, fresh, and flavorful.

The only thing I wasn’t thrilled with is the noise level. Even during a late lunch (when rather empty), the restaurant was loud. It was also extremely dark. I realize it’s also a bar and the noise/darkness goes with the territory, but I probably wouldn’t enjoy my experience as much during prime business hours.

Nevertheless, the food and service were great, so we’ll definitely be back.

• Have you ever had Caribbean and/or Jamaican food?
• How do you typically order your fish: grilled, fried, or blackened?
• If I was a visitor to your hometown, what restaurant would you recommend as a must-try?