Coley’s Still Has Jamaican Tastes

It’s a pretty good rule of thumb that the grungier an ethnic restaurant, the better the food is likely to taste. There is a perfectly justifiable reason for this: Cheaper restaurants are more likely to be accessible to recent immigrants, exactly the customers who can keep a place honest . . . and authentic.

But the new restaurant, Coley’s Place, in fashionable Ladera Heights, is not grungy. And it’s not a dive.

Coley’s Place, owned by Don and Veda Coley, who used to run the still-operating Coley’s Kitchen on Crenshaw Boulevard, is a good place to get authentic Jamaican food.

Jerk chicken, earthy oxtail stew and terrific curried goat are some of the dishes cooked by Don Coley and his team of white-toqued chefs. But what everyone seems to order before the entrees are Coley’s Jamaican patties--flaky, orange-tinted pastries filled with meat, shrimp or vegetables. Wash them down with tart pineapple-ginger juice.

Despite the crisp tablecloths and the swank indirect lighting, Coley’s hasn’t gone fancy on its former regulars--there’s still an easy, relaxed atmosphere and prices are low. Coley’s Place, 5035 W. Slauson Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 291-7474. Entrees $6-$12.