Caribbean Queen
A Jamaican Jerk Hut in The Village

By all accounts, last night was a rousing success.

Which was exactly what we were afraid of.

That means today, you’re faced with an unenviable case of seriously raised expectations. And only one logical course of action:

Spontaneous Caribbean vacation getaway.

Or dinner for two in The Village. Same thing.

Introducing Miss Lily’s, a Greenwich Village Jamaican jerk hut from the scene savant behind La Esquina, Café Select and The Box, opening tonight.

Like the siren song of a steel-drum band, this purveyor of island delights will lure you in with the promise of fried plantains, fiery jambalaya and cold Caribbean beer. Which, coincidentally, has always been your kryptonite.

Powerless to resist, you’ll head here on a night when you’re most in need of a taste of haute spring break. A retreat to someplace where the floor looks like a checkerboard, the Formica booths look like they were from your fifth grade roller-skating birthday party and the air is thick with that most Rastafarian of scents. Jerk chicken.

Your trip should start at that most hospitable of places, the bright, red-topped bar. From here, you’ll decide if you want to take your Jamaican pasta and spiced lobster up front in the reggae-colored main dining area or plan an excursion to the slightly more clandestine, darker back room.

Which is sort of like a Club Med for fashion week models.