SUN-DRENCHED FOOD

Fresh fish, coconuts, chiles and passion fruit. Is it any wonder that Caribbean cuisine is the latest rage? THE BEAUX TIE GRILL (7458 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, (818) 765-5965). Who says you can’t get a great meal in North Hollywood? Chef/owner Jardin Kazaar whips up very pleasing Jamaican/Cajun food in this new restaurant. Begin with deep-fried crunchy catfish strips in a batter that delivers a nice, hot bite; the fish so fresh it melts on your tongue. The Chef’s Surprise salad is a refreshing one. Beside the usual vegetables, it sports tender strips of calamari and little pockets of garlicky sauteed mushrooms. Some entrees to consider: charbroiled lamb chops basted in a tangy Jamaican sauce; baked salmon with jalapeno cream sauce; grilled shrimp; hot seafood salad; steak Diane and more. There’s no formal wine list, but patrons are urged to bring their own, thereby forming a “wine pool” from which to choose. Open for lunch Tue.-Fri., dinner Tue.-Sat. M, V, DC. Dinner for two, food only, $20-$30. CHA CHA CHA (656 N. Virgil (at Melrose), Los Angeles, (213) 664-7723). Upon entering this baby blue room, many diners will notice the homage to Carmen Miranda on one wall, and the banana painting on the other. You might also spot a celebrity or two as you approach your table. Feel the electricity buzzing about, and you haven’t yet tasted the food! Sopes de pollo are little cornmeal cups that hold cubes of chicken, black beans, minced tomatoes, cilantro, onions and sauteed peppers. The flavors are fresh and distinct. The Latin pizza is remarkable for its beauty; it comes covered with a veritable cornucopia of snow peas, tomatoes, peppers, onions. . . . An all-star entree: pollo poblano , a version of chicken in mole sauce. The darkly spicy and fabulously flavorful coating clings to the bird, making each bite slightly different than the last. Ready for some dessert? Then order up the bright orange frozen mango (in the shell) which will dance in your mouth. Open for lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner nightly. Valet parking. Beer and wine. All major credit cards. Dinner for two, food only, $20-$40.

JAMAICA JAMAICA (2205 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, (213) 301-6006). Siren-red fringed lamps, wine-velvet banquettes, beautiful low lights, pink linens and a ceiling full of stars . . . no, it’s not a bordello, but a restaurant worthy of a Caribbean section of New York. Madeleines dipped into lime-blossom tea. A first-rate goat and jerk chicken whose flavors seem to bounce in polyrhythms off the tongue. The brown stew chicken is lusciously marinated. As with European and Latin dishes made en escabeche , oil and vinegar, red and green peppers are tossed over a baked or fried fish and then briefly sauteed. The fish here is tender inside its gleaming crust. A Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is a good evening topper, or maybe a rum drink topped with a paper parasol. If it’s dance night, push back your chair and tap toes to the reggae beat. Open for dinner Tue.-Sun. Dancing Thur.-Sun. 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday Brunch. Parking in lot. Full bar. All major credit cards. Dinner for two, food only, $20-$45.

MONTEGO (4530 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 667-1616). Hungarian refugee Gabor Kincses and his friend Timothy Sherman decided to put a little money together and open a Caribbean restaurant. $500, a little bright blue paint and a plethora of palm plants later, Montego (named after the bay) is a dream realized. The restaurant is tiny but friendly; Kincses will personally discuss culinary situations with anyone who’ll listen. “You are not eating my gumbo. Is it too spicy? Too hot? Not good?” A current appetizer (the menu changes frequently) would be the jumbo prawns in a black bean barbecue sauce. Entrees recommended: grilled scallops with fresh pineapple chutney. Freshly baked banana muffins or jalapeno cheese rolls come with all dishes. Open for lunch. Mon.-Fri., dinner daily. Valet parking at night. Cash only. Reservations suggested. Dinner for two, food only, $30-$40. ST. BARTH’S MARKET AND GRILL (15200 Sunset Blvd., 112, Pacific Palisades, (213) 454-5634). Caribbean food is perfect for summer: sun-warmed fruit, fresh-caught fish, pungent tidbits and homey soups made with a light hand. The recently opened St. Barth’s serves a pleasing rendition of this easygoing fare. It’s also a friendly, lively place that boasts good acoustics. The soups are great and the Caesar salad is crisp and garlicky. The conch fritters are nothing short of luscious; deep, dark, fat, crisp balls of conch and potato served with a very good horseradish caper sauce. Your fish can be poached grilled or sauteed, and you can bet your ginger butter they’ll be cooked impeccably. Desserts range from the wickedly delicious tarte tatin to the achingly sweet sherry cake. Closed Mondays. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat., brunch and dinner Sunday. Beer and wine. Street and subterranean parking. All major credit cards. Dinner for two, food only, $40-$55. WINKS (10337 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 418-8653). Simply put, Winks has the best Belize style tamales. And they have them every single day. Panades, available in most Belizean restaurants, are exquisitely light here. A cross between pastry covered empanadas and masa covered Salvadoran pupusas, the light corn dough is filled with annatto-flavored fish and quickly deep-fried. A bean-filled version is also attainable. You must try the guarnaches, a Belize style tostada that layers Belizean stew beans, hot pepper sauce, pickled onion and cheese on a crisp tortilla. You’ll have great lip-smacking fun here . . . Belize it or not! Open for lunch and dinner, Tue.-Sun. No credit cards. Dinner for two, food only, $10-$15.