La'Mode BK — Restaurant in New York

All I can say is wow! Great food and even greater people! We originally had plans for a barbecue celebrating my mother's 70th birthday but the rain wouldn't let us be great so we had to pivot and change plans at the last minute. I researched restaurants on Yelp and found La'Mode BK. Our party consisted of more than 8 so I had to call to make a reservation. The restaurant didn't open until noon but, I tried my luck and called in the morning and left a message.

To my surprise and delight, they actually returned my phone call (now, you know restaurants rarely monitor their voicemail messages or return phone calls)! I spoke to Dream who was professional, polite, thorough, and thoughtful. Dream asked all the right questions (even some of which I hadn't contemplated)! She mentioned there was also dining space upstairs and asked if a flight of stairs would pose any mobility issues for my party. Thankfully, it wasn't (side note: which gave me a moment of reflection and thanks)! I also inquired about the age requirements (since we had 3 children in our party) and Dream indicated she would consult with the owner and return my call. In a matter of minutes, she was true to her word and informed me that, since my reservation was early enough in the evening, children were permitted. She did say that the restaurant did not have a high chair but, thankfully, that wasn't an issue for us. Also, she mentioned they could accommodate a cool space for my mother's birthday cake.

Now, for the food! For appetizers, we ordered the chicken dumplings (for the kids), the codfish fritters and, (pause for dramatic effect) the ESCOVITCH BITES!!! The kids liked the dumplings and we were pleasantly surprised that the codfish fritters weren't too doughy and actually had a good amount of codfish and seasoning! But those escovitch bites tasted like they were blessed and sent down from heaven by God Himself!! They were nicely seasoned and paired perfectly with an abundance of the spicy carrots and onions!! My Dad had the escovitch snapper and we didn't hear from him all night because he was enjoying his meal so much. The salmon was good, as was the irie pasta and jerk chicken. This is a Caribbean and Asian infused restaurant so the jerk chicken was not that spicy but it was juicy and had a slight hint of pineapple. Those who had it, enjoyed it. The drinks were delicious! My mother had a drink that was similar to a Moscow mule except it had Wray and Nephew in it. She liked it so much, she drank my sister's too! I had a mocktail, the mango lassi colada, and it was delicious and refreshing (which was surprising to me since it had a coconut milk base)! Some people had the macaroni pie and it was tasty. My Mom even commented that it could pass for her own which is a huge compliment because folks love my Mom’s macaroni pie)!

The highlight of the night was when my Mom's bday cake came out! The servers came out and sang, "Happy Birthday" (Stevie Wonder's version, of course). We were just about to blow out the candles until I noticed the cake had a different name on it: Geraldine! I informed our server, Shanice, that it was the wrong cake. She was super-apologetic, asked for a description of the cake, and immediately went to get the right cake. We thought the little snafu was hilarious and my Dad has already teased that he's calling my Mom "Geraldine" from now on! We got the right cake and Dream came by the table to deliver the sincerest birthday blessings to my Mom! Our server, Shanice was soooo patient and attentive and kept her composure even when the evening got progressively busier. Even the gentleman who cleared the tables (unfortunately, I didn't catch his name), was polite, personable, and attentive! I even noticed another gentleman in a pink shirt offering his hand to help the women descending the staircase - just kind and classy!!

It was a great time had by all! Thank you La'Mode, Dream, Shanice, and the Serving Assistant for your kindness, sincerity, and superb...

Cute little gem in Brooklyn. Attended for a birthday dinner. I want to first say that it was a really large group, that was booked last minute. They def didn’t have staff to keep up with the group, but it would seem that they didn’t have staff in the kitchen as well. Long story short, my friend and I had a total of 4 drinks, two apps and with a cc fee, that I didn’t use, cus I paid cash, I never got my change back. Also, the added gratuity, that’s added into the bill, then have to nerve to suggest added gratuity, our bill was $133. I had no problem with that, but let me decide how much and if I want to tip. Especially since it was only the two of us on the bill. So let’s get to why I find that insane, in addition to the fact that I’m always a GREAT tipper. I ordered apps around 8pm and an oxtail dinner and corn soup around 8:30. Wasn’t quite sure when my friend found out that there wasn’t one ingredient for the corn soup, so they offered chicken soup. I’m guessing they had no corn. Now, for the oxtail dinner, we went back and forth with the promise of food coming… for hours. around 11pm I was offered complimentary drinks, by the waitress, courtesy of the manager. Gee thanks! At first, I obliged. But then she showed up with it around 11:15pm, I thought this was insanity!!!!! Cus once again, where the hell is the food!?! And I can’t just keep drinking on an empty stomach. The drinks were def strong and tasted good, but at this point, 3 hrs after ordering food, none of which was brought to us, I feel like the little snacks that we had and the drinks, should have been comp’d as well. Looking at others who had food, looks like it was tasty. I left there hungry and annoyed. I was sooooo thirsty, our neighbor offered us water, and I finished theirs after they left. I understand that the waitress had a lot on her plate, but even when we initially sat down and not many people were there, had to ask for a cup of water.

Longer story short, might be better on slower days, but def won’t make the trip to go back.

DJ good and ambiance was cute. Appetizers and drinks were good. But I wouldn’t know about an entree, because not of our meals ever made it out of...

La'Mode BK provided one of the most intriguing gastronomic experiences I have ever been associated with. Although we went with an initial Groupon, we were treated with respect, sincere affection and impartiality although we were perhaps new to the nuances of Caribbean cuisine, including fascinating spice combinations and heat that is an integral part of the texture and essence of vitality and dare I say healing. Who needs a pharmacy when you can have some even subtle spice in the palate background to clear energy channels and promote more focus? Unlike other restaurants or cultural institutions who may laugh at persons from the "outside." our hostess Tracy had class, our server Shanice was discreet and never one to impose her opinion and Anthony's timing juxtaposed with expansive tact was inspiring. I celebrate persons and institutions that do not promote an "us versus them" mentality while their elegant interactions promote how we are all members of the commonwealth of humanity. I am totally against congestion pricing and our dishonest politicians who are destroying businesses and the middle class, but I have to be grateful as I am learning there is more sincerity in anything but tourist traps in the outer boroughs. Tracy was transparently honest in telling us what dishes could be shared, Anthony had the power in mastering an unspoken dialogue knowing when plates could be cleared and Shanice never imposed her menu item opinion or tried to push more offerings just for the sake of statistics. In the process, my party did not feel like a fixed entity but rather active participants in a memorable dinner as I have rarely encountered. They exude class and the dishes were phenomenal. If a fried food was introduced (clearly stated on the menu) it was not impregnated in oil, The desserts are not excessively sweet, and they have a talent in combining flavors where you can taste each ingredient that peacefully coexists with the sum of the parts combination. In other words, two cultures can combine, but each individual component preserves the essence embodying radiance and forward-thinking...