There were a couple of firsts for me when I tried St. Mary's Carryout, a Jamaican eatery, the other day.

It was the first time I had ever eaten in a restaurant named for a saint. And it was my first taste of goat meat.

I'm not too sure about the goat, but I liked the restaurant.

The tiny business is tucked inside a small storefront on 25th Street on the southern edge of Charles Village. Inside is the most basic of carryouts -- a stand-around waiting area separated from the kitchen by a thick glass. The waiting area had an attractive Jamaican golf poster, a nice assortment of Jamaican sodas in the cooler and a blaring television set. There were no chairs, though.

The menu is simple: a half-dozen Jamaican dishes for dinner, costing $7 for a small platter and $8 for a large. There are a handful of American dishes, including chicken wings and fries, but we stuck to the Jamaican offerings.

The place serves oxtail and fish dinners, but we had to try the jerk chicken, the best-known Jamaican dish. The delicious platter ($7) featured cut-up pieces of dark meat grilled with a nice rub of garlic, pepper and other spices. It was rather fiery and came with equally fiery dirty rice, corn, slow-cooked green beans and fried plantains.

The brown stew with chicken ($7) wasn't really a stew; rather, it was pieces of dark-meat chicken over rice. I thought it was too greasy and under-seasoned.

Finally, there was the goat, which came in a curry sauce. The goat itself was chopped into small pieces and had been cooked until it was quite soft. The curry sauce was too bland for me, but again the dinner came with a huge helping of rice, vegetables and plantains.

St. Mary's does not offer desserts but does serve a couple of breakfast items: ackee (the Jamaican national fruit) and callaloo (a green leafy vegetable).

The carryout sits on a busy stretch of 25th Street. Parking is available at meters nearby.

St. Mary's Carryout

Food: ** 1/2

Service: ***

Waiting area: * 1/2

Parking: ** 1/2

Where: 118 W. 25th St.

Phone: 410-889-9600

Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday

Prices: Jamaican entrees, $7 to $8; credit cards accepted

Outstanding: ****; Good: ***; Fair or uneven: **; Poor: *