Trini Vybez. 1400 Meridian Pl., NW Natalia Kalloo is undeniably a DC insider—just not in the restaurant world. “I’m not a culinary artist or chef,” says Kalloo, a veteran employee of the District’s Office of Administrative Hearings. “I actually came from the government.”  Kalloo, who was born in St James, Trinidad and learned to cook from her parents, moved to DC at age five. As a District functionary, Kalloo began devoting more and more of her time to a side hustle: selling spices and seasonings at farmers markets. Customers loved the dishes she cooked so they could sample her seasonings, and her business eventually graduated to a Trini food truck.  Now, Kalloo has established a brick-and-mortar foothold in DC: Trini Vybez, a bi-level modern Caribbean eatery in Columbia Heights, right on 14th Street. The hybrid restaurant-cafe-wine bar opened on October 1. Natalia Kalloo worked for years in DC government before opening her own food business. Photograph courtesy of Natalia Kalloo. Those familiar with the upper reaches of Georgia Avenue are probably also familiar with a certain kind of Trinidadian restaurant: the spartan carryout specializing in roti wraps, curry chicken, and the Indo-Caribbean specialty known as doubles (a scoop of warmly spiced chickpea curry tucked between two wrinkly frybreads).  That’s not exactly what Kalloo is going for. At Trini Vybez, her menu showcases mango salad, cumin-scented geera pork, aloo curry with chickpeas, Trini-Chinese-style wings, and vanilla cheesecake. The upstairs dining room looks the part of a Caribbean sit-down spot, with tropical plants, a full bar, and the eye-popping red-white-and-black color scheme of the Trinibagonian flag.  “Trinidad is known for its street food,” Kalloo says. “My angle was to take it out of street food and actually put it in a full service dining atmosphere.” Fans of Indo-Caribbean street foods have a place here. Pholourie, fried dough balls made from split-pea flour, are paired with chutneys as an appetizer. Doubles can be a starter too, with the option to add proteins like shrimp or chicken. Various meats and vegetables are curried and served over rice or as part of a traditional Trinidadian roti—choose either bussupshut (torn up flaky roti for dipping) or dhalpuri (a roti filled with a dusting of seasoned split peas). Veggie sides accompany almost everything.  On the ground floor is Soca Cafe, a hybrid wine bar and Trinidadian pastry shop that forms the other half of the Trini Vybez concept. Kalloo thought she’d take advantage of the generous space—try a currant roll with an espresso on a weekend morning, or pair a glass of California pinot with oxtail sliders in the evening.  Kalloo is thrilled about the new eatery, and she made a point of shouting out her old employer, the District of Columbia. To open Trini Vybez, she relied on the city’s Great Streets and “Keeping it Cool” grant programs for small businesses. “A lot of people don’t mention the city’s support,” Kalloo says. “I received quite a bit of support from the District.”The post DC’s Newest Caribbean Restaurant Brings Trinidadian Street Food Indoors first appeared on Washingtonian.