Rum and Caribbean Family Recipes at Peter Prime’s New ‘Cane’

The new Cane (403 H Street NE) is a family affair.

Supremely intimate — there are only 40 seats — Cane was opened by Michelin Bib Gourmand Chef Peter Prime in mid-April, and showcases his Trinidadian inspired smoke meats as well as some remarkably delicious rum cocktails.

Previously the Executive Chef at Spark, Prime now joins together with his younger sister Jeanine Prime, to bring family traditions and recipes.

A Caribbean (and Trinidadian) restaurant, the menu has a variety of jerk, roti, oxtail and curry selections, including some hard to find cultural favorites, that are really must-trys. Go hungry, but be prepared for a wait. The restaurant is intimate, and popular, so you may have a while salivating over the menu.

If you’re in a major hurry, at least take advantage of Hoppy Hour, which features freshly baked hops bread coming out with your cocktails every day at 4pm.  And maybe order off of the adorably named Trinidad and TobaGOES menu… unique freshly squeezed juices that’ll make you feel like you’ve bottled the islands in your to-go cup.

But when you do get your table, here are our suggestions: Start with the doubles, indian fried bread with cumin spiced chickpeas.  If you’re adventurous, continue with fried chicken feet and beef tendon souse! 

The pepper pot, a ragout of oxtail, brisket, and beef rib stew with fermented cassava is a favorite.  But you really can’t beat the experience of the tiffen box, a tender of indian bread with an assortment of curries and chutneys. Both wash down well with the bar program’s Carnival, a blend of light and dark rum, coconut orgeat syrup, pineapple shrub, and angostura bitters served in a metal cup, or the Cane Fever, which mixes Trinidadian rum with pineapple-habanero shrub, lime, and sparkling water.

Finish with some unique Guinness soft serve, a flavor our new ‘Prime Caribbean family’ tells us is iconic on the island.