The Setting brings a taste of islands to Adelphi

Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Bryan Haynes⁄The Gazette Yvonne ‘Frenchie’ Stewart-Payne displays a plate of jerk chicken with rice, peas, plantain, macaroni and cheese and salad at her Adelphi restaurant.

Among Stewart-Payne’s top priorities is ensuring that the food tastes authentic to her homeland. In fact, ‘‘We go out of our way to provide authenticity by bringing our spices directly from Jamaica to maintain the original taste,” said Lloyd Payne, Stewart-Payne’s brother and the manager of the restaurant.

The restaurant also has a decidedly Caribbean feel. Jamaican music wafts in the background. Most people think of the Caribbean as a place of leisure and relaxation. A lounge area in the front section of the restaurant conveys the idea of leisure and relaxation, as well. The restaurant also has a large dance floor, where customers can party Wednesday night through Sunday night. The restaurant can seat 200 people, and the management offers catering and room for celebrations such as weddings, as well. A number of televisions and a bar add to the restaurant’s entertainment appeal.

While it’s important to Stewart-Payne that people have a good time when they visit The Setting, it’s more important that they enjoy their meals.

‘‘People come to you and ask ‘Where’s the cook? The food is very good,’” she said. ‘‘I like any kind of feedback from customers.”

One of the best ways to tell what customers like is to see what they order repeatedly. Among the most popular dishes are brown stewed chicken for $9 and the oxtail for $12. Both of these entrees, as well as all others, come with rice and peas or white rice and a choice of Frenchie’s Macaroni and Cheese, cabbage or plantains.

Other popular dishes include the jerk chicken for $9, and the brown stewed fish, which costs market price. Curry goat and Caribbean-style steak are other popular selections, costing $12 and $13 respectively.

The setting 2063 University Blvd., Hyattsville 301-439-7015 Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.; Sunday: noon to 2 a.m.

The restaurant may be Jamaican, but one of Stewart-Payne’s specialties is decidedly American. Frenchie’s Famous Macaroni and Cheese is her real specialty, she said, and people who’ve tried it are likely to come back for more. A side order of it costs $4. Other side orders include steamed cabbage and carrots for $3, fried dumplings for $4 and rice and peas for $4.

There are a number of offerings if you’re just looking for a snack. You can get 10 jerk, barbecue or fried chicken wings for $9. Chicken soup and red pea soup each cost $6, as well.

For those with a sweet tooth, bread pudding and potato pudding each cost $3.50. Pound cake costs $4, and fruit salad costs $4.50.

All of the food is cooked to order, so people who have health problems can have their meals prepared with less salt or other stipulations. The restaurant also caters to those who aren’t familiar with Jamaican cuisine.

‘‘If someone looks at the menu and sees something they’ve never eaten, we let them taste it,” Stewart-Payne said.

While Stewart-Payne has lived in the Washington metropolitan area since 1970, the global community is very important to her. One of her biggest goals as a restaurant owner is to cater to people of all nationalities and share with them the joys of Jamaican cooking.

‘‘What I’d like to see is more people from different cultures,” she said. ‘‘We try to serve everyone.”