Where to: Black Cat @ Vee Vee, a collaboration between chef Valentine Howell and longtime Jamaica Plain restaurant Vee Vee.
Why: To try a new menu from James Beard award-nominated chef Howell at a favorite neighborhood spot — perhaps seated on Vee Vee’s super-pleasant patio.
The backstory: When restaurants shut down during COVID, Howell and fiancée Renea Adger started a pop-up called Black Cat. Since then, Howell has been nominated for the 2023 Best Chef Northeast James Beard award, for his time at Greek wine bar Krasi, and has been a contestant on “Top Chef.” When Vee Vee’s previous chef departed, owners Dan and Kristen Valachovic connected with Howell, and the next chapter for both Black Cat and Vee Vee began.
What to eat: Black Cat @ Vee Vee’s menu incorporates Caribbean and Mexican flavors in dishes such as Jamaican jackfruit empanadas, djon djon fried rice, and seared scallops with grits, Scotch bonnet-ginger butter, and toasted corn nut dukkah. Shrimp ceviche with thin-sliced radish, cucumber, and red onion in a coconut-milk bath is just the refreshing thing on a hot summer night. Birria queso tacos, filled with braised beef and cheese, are crisp and savory, with a bowl of meaty consomme for dunking. There’s flank steak with aguachile, extra-tender in a zippy marinade with jerk butter, and red snapper rundown, elegant and light, the fish festooned with vegetables and herbs and served in tomato-coconut broth. For dessert, try a plantain buñuelo, the fritter accompanied by salted caramel, roast pineapple, and a dollop of whipped cream, or soursop ice cream with ginger-guava jam sprinkled in brown butter toasted coconut crumble. Don’t worry, Vee Vee loyalists. The beloved butterscotch pudding stayed on the menu.
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What to drink: For an evening on the patio, a glass of albariño, Vee Vee’s house white, or a crisp French rose does the trick. As the night wears on, switch to orange wine or a chilled red from Croatia. The food-friendly beer list offers selections from Dorchester, Jamaica, and locales in between. Italian sodas, kombucha, and Phony Negronis are among the alcohol-free offerings.
The takeaway: Change can be hard, especially when it comes to a neighborhood mainstay. But Black Cat @ Vee Vee is a new bright spot on Centre Street, serving up invigorating flavors and delicious dishes. Whether you were a regular at Vee Vee or have never been before, it’s time to pay a visit.
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763 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, 617-522-0145, www.veeveejp.com. Dishes $10-$35, wine $12-$17 per glass.
Devra First can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @devrafirst.