One Love Café is a Jamaican haven in the heart of Worcester. Co-chef and owner Michella Fouchard opened One Love with her daughter on Mother’s Day 2003, and customers can still feel the warmth and affability of this mother-daughter venture to this day.

The cozy café has five tables and a well-worn floral sofa that abuts the open kitchen where Michella brews up hearty West Indian cuisine. I chatted with her while she prepared my meal and felt as if I had a personal chef tailoring the dish just to my taste.

The meal started with an unexpected surprise of a baby greens salad. This refreshingly tangy salad consisted of fresh spinach, thin orange slices and gingered carrots tossed with white wine and balsamic vinegars. The bright citrus flavors of this light and palate-piquing dish were the perfect beginning to what would be a rich meal, heavy in spices.

For my entrée, Michella recommended the Jerk Chicken ($8.50) but was quick to point out to a first timer that the dish was very spicy. “Can you take it?” she asked. The moment I sunk my teeth into the moist chicken, I was thankful for the pitcher of orange infused water at my table. The grilled chicken was so tender that it slid off the bone like a slow cooked short rib. The richness of the succulent meat perfectly balanced the fiery jerk spices.

My tall glass of fruit punch (Lg. $4, Sm. $2), a divinely refreshing concoction of cantaloupe, strawberries, mangoes, pineapple, papaya and bananas blended with spring water and sweetened with honey and brown sugar, cleansed my palate between flaming bites. One Love’s menu offers “Little Tings,” such as cod fish cakes or steamed chopped cabbage, and “Big Tings,” including a variety of seafood, chicken and more unusual meats such as curried goat and ox tail. Given Michella’s cooking, I wouldn’t hesitate to try anything she put in front of me.

But One Love Café isn’t just an eatery, it is also a purveyor of culture, showcasing jazz musicians at the weekly Sunday Jazz Brunch and drumming on Friday nights. Michella also exhibits one or two artists every month.

On par with the food is the lighthearted and easygoing vibe at One Love Café. Bob Marley’s idiom, let’s get together and feel alright, is carried through the café in the notes of soft reggae music, the wafting aromas of sultry cooking and the satisfied faces of Michella and her customers.

Maria’s Kitchen
826 Main Street, Worcester
(508) 797-3380

Maria’s Kitchen, just steps from One Love Café, is the fast food version of Caribbean cooking. Linoleum floored and lined with plastic booths, this cafeteria- style restaurant resembles any pizza joint.

Order at the counter and pre-made food is ladled from steaming Bain Marie’s onto your plate. I tried the ovenbaked pork — tender mouthfuls of meat waded in a flavorful but greasy sauce. The beans were equally saucy, but much more pleasantly so. Other menu options include fried fish or pork, roasted ribs or chicken and any type of rind you might fancy. Next time you need a speedy meal, forget the pizzeria or the fast food restaurant and head to Maria’s.

Terra Brasilis
94 Union Avenue, Framingham
(508) 620-9354
www.terrabrasilisrestaurant.com

Load up your plate with something different every day of the week at Terra Brasilis in Framingham. On a Thursday afternoon, I faced a crowded parking lot of buffet goers. After I picked my table, I headed up to the buffet, which includes a cold table, hot table and barbecue, the offerings of which change daily. On Thursday, for example, you might choose a modest meal of sliced beets with vinaigrette and Feijao Tropeiro (pinto beans with pork meat, pork belly, fried eggs and collard greens mixed with yucca flour) so that, on Saturday, you could indulge in Salpical, an intriguing version of chicken salad, Feijoada (stewed black beans with pork meat, tail and feet) and a rotisserie style chicken heart.

Have no fear. Terra Brasilis also offers dishes as familiar as roasted pork and linguine with meat sauce. Anything off the barbecue is a good choice, especially the pork or chicken sausages, which were pink and juicy inside the salty, caramelized casing. The sirloin steak was also wonderfully flavorful, but rather tough considering it claimed to be medium rare.

The toffee-colored wood interior provided a pleasant dining atmosphere, and the staff was as obliging and helpful as they could be to a non-Portuguese speaker. Food is priced by the weight of your meal — my loaded plate came to $6.03! Whether you’re in the mood for the unfamiliar or a Brazilian version of a common favorite, try Terra Brasilis for a distinctive experience.