Infused Kreyol: Delicious Haitian & Dominican Cuisine in Malden

I have little familiarity with Haitian cuisine so was intrigued when I noticed a Haitian restaurant, Infused Kreyol, would soon open in Malden. The spot once belonged, for quite a long time, to the Sun Guang Bakery, a great Chinese bakery, and was later taken over, for a much shorter time, by Sweet Kingdom, an Asian dessert spot. Infused Kreyol opened last month and I wanted to provide my initial impressions after having dined there three times for lunch. As the restaurant has only recently opened, this isn't a formal review, giving them time to work out the final kinks.

Infused Kreyol was founded by Dominique and Daniella Zephyr-Gutierrez, twins who grew up in Malden. Their father was Haitian and their mother was Haitian-Dominican, so though the restaurant's cuisine is primarily Haitian, there are also nods to Dominican and other Caribbean cuisines. The restaurant seats about 40 people and there is a very casual ambiance, enhanced by the artwork on the walls. In fact, as you enter the restaurant, you'll walk down their "Art Walk", checking out some of the artwork.

Behind the counter, there is more artwork, including a painting of their mother, and a painting of both twins. There is also a display of some of the wines they serve. And of interest, there is a heated glass case which stores freshly-made Paté, which you can buy to go (and which I highly recommend you do). I'll talk more about those Paté later in this post.

A painting on another wall, which is a significant symbol for the restaurant, depicts the Le Marron Inconnu de Saint-Domingue, "The Unknown Slave," a bronze statue of a runaway slave that commemorates the abolishment of slavery. The statue, created by Haitian sculptor Albert Mangonès  in 1967, is displayed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The painting also adorns the cover of the restaurant's menus.

The Menu has plenty of choices and is broken down into Small Bites (6 choices, $2.50-$11), Sandwiches/Sliders (2 choices, $8-$10), Lunch Bowls ($10), Infused Plates (10 choices, $15-$18) Salads (2 choices, $7), Sides (7 choices, $3-$7), and Dessert (4 choices, $4-$6). The Infused Plates come with your choice of Rice (White rice with SOS Pwa, Black rice, or Spanish rice) and Plantains (sweet or green). Nearly every dish, except the salads and a veggie Paté, has meat or seafood so vegetarians don't have many choices, though I suspect the restaurant might try to cater to your desires.

Above, you'll see Plantain Chips, which I was offered on two of my three visits. They are a complimentary snack provided once you order your food. They are thin, crunchy, and tasty though might benefit from a bit of salt.

One of the Small Bites is the Paté ($2.50), a flaky pastry filled with shredded chicken, ground beef, cod fish or veggie. I tasted three of the four, excluding the veggie, and loved them! They are made fresh each day, and on two of my visits, the cod fish paté weren't available as they hadn't been made yet. The pastry is light, flaky and buttery, exactly what you want it to be, and the fillings have intense and tasty flavors, spiced well. And at this price, they are an excellent value. If nothing else, you should stop by Infused Kreyol and pick up a bunch of these paté to enjoy at home.

The Cod Fish Pate.

Another Small Bite was the Bacon Wrapped Sweet Plantains ($10), which sounds great and tastes as you imagined. The large pieces of fried plantains had a nice caramelized exterior, and were soft and almost mushy inside, but with a sufficient firmness. The salty bacon enhanced the sweetness of the plantains. An excellent appetizer and nearly addictive.

The Jerk Beef Sliders ($10), topped with a pineapple-mango chutney, are noted as Spicy though you can order just a regular burger instead. I opted for the Jerk and they were delicious, spicy without being overly hot. Each burger was relatively large and thick for a slider, and they were juicy and meaty, topped by melted cheese. The chutney added some sweetness to balance the jerk spices, as well as a bit of texture. The soft, fresh roll worked well for the burger too. Another winner of a dish.

For a Side, I wanted to try their Corn Bread, but it wasn't available on any of my visits.

For an Infused Plate, I chose the Griot ($15), pork shoulder marinated and fried in savory sauce with peppers and onions. I chose Black Rice and Sweet Plantains to accompany the griot.

The pieces of pork shoulder were compelling, with a great crunchy, fried coating and moist, flavorful pork inside. Even the few fatty pieces were delicious, being silky smooth inside the crunchy coating. An absolutely delicious dish and you can order the Griot as a Small Bite as well, without the rice and plantains.

The Fried Sweet Plantains were delicious, just as tasty as the ones that come wrapped in bacon.

The Black Rice had an interesting flavor, with peas and spices.

The Kreyol Pasta ($18), an ample portion, is topped by a spicy and rich cream sauce and comes with either Chicken & Shrimp or Andouille Sausage and Shrimp. I opted for the sausage and shrimp. Though the pasta was cooked well, and the cream sauce was tasty, with a nice blend of spices, the sausage was a bit tough and there were only two shrimp.

The Lunch Bowl ($10) comes with your choice of pulled pork, stewed beef, or shredded chicken, and rice, plantains, peppers and onions. I chose the pulled pork with Spanish rice, a good sized dish for the price. The pulled pork was moist, tender and had a nice depth of flavor. If you want a value lunch choice, this is a great option.

For Dessert, I wanted to get the Haitian Beyens, banana fritters, but they are only made for dinner. I decided to try Gigi's Cream Corn Souffle ($6), which is infused with Haitian cremas. The three souffles reminded me of a corn pudding we often make for the holidays. It was like a bread pudding texture, with sweet corn and crema, and some deeper flavors as well. Savory and sweet, a very good option.

Overall, I was impressed with the cuisine at Infused Kreyol. There is a compelling depth of flavor to most of their dishes, and I like the freshness of each dish. As the dishes are home-made, you might have to wait a little bit longer for your food to arrive than some fast casual spot, but it is well worth the wait. Service was excellent on two of my visits, but on one of my visits, service was rather slow, and the restaurant wasn't busy. Prices are reasonable for what you get, and some of the dishes are even excellent values, like the Paté. Infused Kreyol is a welcome addition to the area and I look forward to checking out more of their menu. I highly recommend you visit Infused Kreyol too.

Askanya: Compelling Single-Origin Haitian Chocolate

"The taste of chocolate is a sensual pleasure in itself, existing in the same world as sex... For myself, I can enjoy the wicked pleasure of chocolate... entirely by myself. Furtiveness makes it better."
--Dr. Ruth Westheimer

The island of Haiti was one of the first countries to commercially grow cacao, though it wasn't a very successful endeavor. However, throughout the centuries, cacao has continued to be cultivated in Haiti and there has been more success in recent years, with the potential for much more. Their cultivated cacao trees tend to be older, and more desirable varieties, such as Criollo and Trinitario. Criollo, which is difficult to grow, constitutes only about 5% of the world's production and is most often used in high-end chocolate. Trinitario is a natural hybrid, being hardier to cultivate, and can also have a superior flavor.

In 2015, Haiti produced only about 4500 metric tons of cacao, which is approximately 0.1% the of global supply. This low amount is due to a number of factors, including natural disasters like the Haitian earthquake of 2010 which decreased cacao production by about 36%. Over 90% of the cacao beans cultivated in Haiti are exported in their unprocessed state as it is difficult to ferment the beans in Haiti. There are only a small number of fermentation facilities, and it is those facilities which elevate the quality of chocolate. 90% of the cacao beans also come from small, family run farms, which, on their own, generally don't have the power or finances to market their products.

The Fédération des Coopératives Cacaoyères du Nord (FECCANO) is a cooperative of about 3000 cacao farmers, most from northern Haiti. Back in 2009, the Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières, an international, non-profit dedicated to helping small farmers, started educating FECCANO in cacao fermentation techniques as well as helping to open four fermentation facilities on Haiti. They worked with FECCANO in other cacao matters too, such as helping them garner fair trade and organic certifications. FECCANO now has been able to export some high-quality chocolate, earning more money for its many farmers.

Locally, you might have enjoyed some Haitian chocolate from Taza Chocolate, which produces an 84% Dark Chocolate Bar sourced from Produits Des Iles SA (PISA). However, there is a new product on the market, a Haitian bean-to-bar chocolate that is produced solely in Haiti. And it is amazingly delicious.

Les Chocolateries Askanya is Haiti's first and only bean-to-bar chocolate company, located in Ouanaminthe, a town in northeastern Haiti. Their motto is "Grown in Haiti, Made in Haiti, Enjoyed Everywhere." The company was founded in 2015 by three entrepreneurs, including Corinne Joachim Sanon Symietz, her husband Andreas Symietz, and Gentile Senat. Corinne, a Haitian native, was previously an engineer and business consultant, but had a dream of returning to Haiti and starting a business to create jobs. In the end, the founders decided to accomplish this goal by creating a chocolate factory.

The name of their company derives from one of the founder's German hometown, Aschersleben, which in a Latinized form is Ascania. This is also the name of a legendary king in Roman mythology and the founders wish Askanya to become known as the Queen of Chocolate in Haiti. Askanya initially spent time investigating cacao through FECCANO, and now it has become their only cacao supplier.

Currently, Askanya produces three different, single-origin chocolate bars: Paradis, Wanga Nègès and Minuit. They are available in 55 gram bars (about $6 each) and bite-size 10 gram bars (12 for $12.50). The colorful wrappers for their chocolate bars celebrate the native flora and fauna of Haiti, including the bird of paradise (Paradis), night butterflies (Minuit), and hummingbird (Wanga Nègès).

The chocolate is available across the U.S., from New York to California, Illinois to Washington, D.C. Locally, Askanya was previously available by mail order through New Leaf Chocolates in Arlington, but the company has temporarily shut down. There is no other Massachusetts location selling Askanya but you can order them online and get some shipped to you. I received some media samples of the three different bars and found the chocolate to be quite impressive.

The Paradis is a Milk Chocolate bar, made from Haitian cacao, sugar, milk, and cacao butter, with 47% cacao. A milk chocolate bar can have as little as 10% cacao but the Paradis, with its 47%, is closer to the rough category of Dark Milk Chocolate, which generally is said to have at least 50% cacao.

When you look at the Paradis, it certainly is darker than many milk chocolate bars you may have seen, and on the palate, it will strike you as more similar to dark chocolate too. The Paradis has a rich and creamy texture, with delicious chocolate flavors and a mild sweetness. The taste is enhanced by subtle fruit flavors, providing additional complexity. There isn't any bitterness to the flavors and it will definitely please any chocolate lover.

The Wanga Nègès is also a Milk Chocolate bar, made from Haitian cacao, Rapadou (artisanal cane sugar), milk, and cacao butter, with 50% cacao. Rapadou is an unrefined, whole cane brown sugar, and can add flavors of caramel or molasses. With a 50% cacao, it would qualify as one of the Dark Milk Chocolates and it will definitely remind you of dark chocolate. The Wanga Nègès was my favorite of the three bars, presenting a complex and compelling taste. It was creamier and smoother than the Paradis, with a rich, chocolate taste and a complex melange of subtle other flavors, from caramel to dried fruit. There was no bitterness and the taste of the chocolate lingers in your mouth for quite some time. Highly recommended!

The Minuit is their their Dark Chocolate bar, made from Haitian cacao, sugar, and vanilla beans, with 60% cacao. It is the darkest of the three bars, with a rich, deep and dark chocolate taste, but again there isn't the bitterness you may associate with dark chocolate. It also has its own complexity, subtle fruit flavors, sweet vanilla, and more than I strained to try to identify. It is a chocolate to slowly savor and enjoy, reveling in its subtle complexities.

Frankly, these were some of the best chocolate bars I've enjoyed in quite some time. Their creamy richness and complex flavors were compelling, and from the first bite you know these are high quality chocolates. If this is indicative of Haitian chocolate, then let's hope more companies start producing chocolate bars and other chocolate treats. Seek out Les Chocolateries Askanya and you won't be disappointed.