Warm up at D&H Jamaican Cuisine in Newark

Hard to believe it's February already, but at this time of year, we know how very tempting it can be to constantly gaze out the office window and daydream of warmer surroundings with white sandy beaches, fruity frozen drinks and temps in the 80s.

We understand. We empathize. We get it.

So last week, when we felt the same way, in dire need of a taste of something that would whisk us away to a place like the Caribbean, we took a ride down to Newark and stopped in for a spicy lunch at D&H Jamaican Cuisine.

Believe it or not, the jerk joint has been standing at the crossroads of Route 4 & Salem Church Road for a little over a decade now. The second of two locations (the first being at East 4th Street in Wilmington), the Newark spot offers a huge bar and plenty of six-seat tables for maximum comfort.

Somewhat uncomfortable on our visit, however, was that they seemed to have forgotten to turn the heat on. It was pretty chilly in there, but with a menu filled with curry and jerk dishes, we knew it wouldn't be long before our foursome warmed up.

For starters, we ordered a six-piece plate of their Buffalo wings ($5.20), which were plump and meaty, and even though mild in sauce, they possessed plenty of tangy heat. A standard side of blue cheese dressing and crunchy celery sticks were served with the app.

Next up we went a little more traditional with one chicken patty and one beef patty (both $2). Wrapped in a well-baked pastry pocket, the ground beef was alright, but the chicken was the winner, mixed with a good amount of curry spices that really heated up the flaky dish.

The sweetness from our two orders of plantains ($2 each) helped to counter some of the spiciness of the other dishes. The starchy banana-like chunks were simply fried, but bursting with their own natural caramelized flavors.

For the main course, I went with the jerk chicken roti ($8.99), a bone-in jerk-seasoned chicken simmering inside a sweet, flour tortilla. Chef Richard Duncan later told me the jerk seasoning they use contains scotch bonnet peppers, hence the authentic spicy flavor.

For the table we ordered a basket of the potato wedges ($4), which as it turned out, could have been a meal all itself. The huge basket of piping-hot and crispy taters was delicious.

Next to me sat the pepper steak entree ($8.99) in a large crock, with a side of red beans and rice and slightly bitter collard greens. The pepper steak itself was the heartiest of all the dishes, with huge chunks of steak simmering in a dark brown gravy, loaded with peppers and onions.

The last item to hit the table was another Jamaican original, the oxtail entree ($9.99). Don't fear the oxtail -- it's similiar in taste and texture to short ribs, wherein a normally tough-to-chew meat turns tender and mouth-watering after a long braise.

And mouth-watering is how we would sum up the entire meal at D&H. Not one dish was bland or lacked serious flavor, and everything warmed us up from the inside out on a very cold day.