Calabash African Kitchen (Las Vegas, Nevada) | Influencer Restaurant Review by Keith Lee

Full Transcript: Keith Lee’s Calabash African Kitchen Restaurant Review Video

This video reminded me — I want to start something. I want to highlight some of my favorite places that I had in 2023, and this is my first stop.

I got it. Let’s try it and rate it 1 to 10.

I spent seventy-five dollars and eighty-six cents. The name of this place is Calibash African Kitchen. I’ve talked about this a bunch of times because, again, this is one of my favorite places. Everybody who comes into town, whether it’s my family or one of my friends, the first thing they ask me is, “Where are we about to go eat?” And this is one of the first places I say all the time.

I’m gonna show you what I got, and we’re gonna try it. Everybody wants to see it.

Jollof rice, plantain (or plantains), and two orders of oxtail and fufu. I’ve heard this is not the traditional way to eat oxtail, but this is the way they recommend it, and I get it like this every time. I say every time.

I’m spilling everywhere. Oxtail in the car is crazy.

Now, this food is kind of expensive. This oxtail by itself was $28. But in my experience, oxtail is expensive everywhere. I ain’t been anywhere and got cheap oxtail.

First, this is what I like to do. I like to take a good little scoop of the fufu. I go broth first, let that sop up in the broth, and then I grab me a piece of meat. Look how big these oxtails are. Hold on. That’s right off that ox tail, like that.

Don’t worry, my hands are clean, and it’s going to my mouth. Hmm. It don’t ever fail. I ain’t gonna lie to you. Auntie be back there cooking. Auntie don’t miss.

In my opinion, even the vegetables — just like a cartoon carrot. That carrot’s tender, this broth’s seasoned, and the meat’s falling off the bone. Good God Almighty.

I’ve always been very firm — that’s some of the best oxtail I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve rated that so many times, I’m not even gonna rate it. But if I had to, very, very high nines. Almost a 10. It don’t never get lower than a 9.7 for me. It’s in a range of 9.7 to a 10. It’s like in that category.

Now, this is Jollof. I’ve never had this before — from here at least. It’s like seasoned rice with a tomato base. Uh huh. It’s not super spicy. It’s not super tomato-y, but it’s super flavorful in general. I’m talking all kinds of seasoning. Seasonings I probably don’t even know the name of, but I can taste them. I ain’t gotta know the name of them.

In my opinion, I give it an 8.7 out of 10. That’s great rice, but it’s still just rice. I wish I had some meat in it. I don’t even know if that’s a traditional thing to do, but it’s got so much flavor, I wish I had some meaty texture to it. When I bit the oxtail and ate that rice — if it already had pieces of oxtail in there — again, I don’t know if that’s what you’re supposed to do, but that’s what I would do, and I’d give it like a 9.5 if it was in there already. I ain’t gonna lie to you.

Last but not least, the plantain. This doesn’t even look real. This is plantain or plantin. I’m not sure exactly how to say it, but I keep hearing either plantain or plantin, but it’s just plantain. It don’t taste like they did much to it, just cooked it. So I give it a solid 7.

I’m about to smash, and that’s officially been the first time, but one of my favorites in Vegas for 2023.

God bless you. Have an amazing day. Y’all be safe.

I still got oxtail juice all over my fingers, my hands, my lips, and my pants, and I don’t even care.