New Caribbean Food Spot Opening on Park Slope's 5th Ave. This Winter

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — A new pan-Caribbean restaurant is planned for 5th Avenue in Park Slope, taking over the space formerly occupied by Backyard.

Curry! Modern Caribbean Experience... (the ellipses is part of the title) plans to open at 388 5th Ave. by early February, according to owner and future executive chef Michael Frazier.

Frazier, who is a Brooklyn native, says Curry! will offer a menu that will "pay homage to the different societies and cultures in the Caribbean."

The chef said one of the dishes he's excited about is his "Ital stew," a vegan dish that falls in the Rastafarian culinary tradition, featuring vegetables stewed in a home-made coconut yogurt.

The menu will also include plenty of meat dishes and hilal food, he added, as the restaurant aims to offer meals for many palettes.

Curry! will be using the property's outdoor seating area in-season, a space that can hold about 40 people. About 45 more could be seated indoors, including space at a bar, Frazier said.

Community Board 6's licensing committee voted to back the entrepreneur's liquor license application on Monday, on the condition that he remove music speakers from the outdoor seating area and adjust his hours.

Frazier now plans to run the restaurant indoors until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 12 a.m. on Friday, and until 1 a.m. on Saturday.

The outdoor space will be open until 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Several neighbors who attended Monday's board meeting said the owners of Backyard hadn't been responsive to community concerns involving noise and excessive music, but Frazier said he just wants to run a restaurant, not a club, bar or event space.

One of the neighbors at the meeting said Frazier's presence and comments before the board was already a welcome improvement from the past.

Pictured at top: the future site of Curry! Modern Caribbean Experience... Photo by John V. Santore

[Editor's note: a previous version of this article misstated the name of the restaurant. It is "Curry! Modern Caribbean Experience..." instead of "Curry' Modern Caribbean Experience... "]