A good pastry is hard to find

One of the things I miss most down here in Jamaica is the variety of food that I was able to get in the US. Even though many of these foods are available in Kingston, they are hard to get to and can be expensive, whether in restaurants or markets. In addition, I just can't find certain things. So here is a list of foods that I miss in no particular order.

1. Portabello Parmesan Sandwich from Free State Brewery. These are really good, and have even been written up in cookbooks. It's hard to find mushrooms, other than canned and dried, in the supermarket here. Let alone a restaurant that serves portabelloes.
2. Beer. OK, this is a large category, but there are so many microbrews available in the US that it's hard to transition to the few that they have here (Red Stripe, Red Stripe Light, Heineken, Guinness Extra Foreign Stout, Dragon Stout; not even Budweiser). My favorites back home would be Free State Beers (especially Jon Brown Ale and Oatmeal Stout), New Belgium Fat Tire, Sam Adams Boston Lager, Boulevard Wheat, Boulevard Pale Ale.
3. Margaritas. Tequila is very expensive here, and there are few Mexican restaurants. You have to go to Margaritaville on the coast to get one. I miss the ones at La Parilla, El Mezcal frozen, and my homemade special.
4. Dunkin' Donuts. The french cruller, chocolate glazed, medium coffee combo is so choice. They have very good coffee there, I assure you.
5. Wheatfields. The best cinnamon rolls ever (excluding home made of course). And their coffee is even better than Dunkin' Donuts, and it's organic to boot. I used to get the cinnamon roll and coffee and read Marx and Nietzsche in grad school. Makes the social theory go down smooth.
6. La Parrilla. I already metnioned their magaritas, but I have to give a shout out to the veggie rice bowl, chips and salsa, guacamole, fried plantains with black bean sauce.
7. Chips and Salsa. Deserves its own listing. Nuff love.
8. Homemade Rice and Bean Enchiladas. The tortillas are very expensive and only found in Kingston. Plus, we try not to turn on the oven too often so it is doesn't heat up the place.
9. Indian Food. We have found some good places in Ochi and New Kingston, but we don't go there as often as we would like.
10. Good Breads. Whole wheat hearth fired bread, scones, focaccia, and ciabatta are all hard to find.
11. Waldo Pizza with Soycheese. They make a great soycheese pizza there with a basil and tomato sauce. Check it out if you are in KC. Their regular pizzas are also really good.
12. Sub Sandwiches. From Yello Sub to Subway to Quizno's, always a good vegetarian option.
13. Middle Eastern Food. Pita, falafel, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, lentil soup.

That's all for now, but I may think of some more later.

-Shane