Ground Provisions: Dee and Ricky Cook Up Some Jerk Chicken

October 12, 2011

Words by Jesse Serwer

Dee and Ricky are making an unlikely entrance into the restaurant business. The twin designers behind the Lego belt, Starter jacket duffle bag and Kanye’s heart brooch, recently opened Dee and Ricky’s Home Cooking, a new eatery on Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, that combines the brothers’ Caribbean and Southern roots (their parents hail from Georgia and Jamaica) with their quirky artistic sensibilities.

Cuisine-wise, think Arnold’s from Happy Days or the Peach Pit, but with a menu designed by a creative high school sophomore with the munchies, and a bar stocked with Appleton’s and Wray and Nephew. “Lollipop” jerk chicken, braised oxtail, peppered prawns, jerk chicken nuggets and callaloo-and-codfish, jerk-chicken and oxtail-patties represent the Jamaican side of things; on the other hand, you’ve got mac ‘n cheese balls, cheesy grits brûlée and a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich with bananas and bacon (several of these are represented in a mural by artist Malcolm Stuart that covers the restaurant’s wall). We stopped in last night—after dinner, unfortunately—but we can co-sign the jerk nuggets (which are fried and served with a honey dip) and the rum punch. The place is still in soft launch mode—there isn’t much more than an address an an 8-bit illustration on the website—but stay tuned here for more details.