Delicious Dakar

Friday night my friends and I were all feeling a bit under the weather- colds,sinusitis, allergies we were all suffering and needed comfort food with a bit of spice. Something new. Something from Senegal? Oh yes!

Welcome to Dakar Restaurant: a hidden gem in Central Falls! This new restaurant is on Roosevelt Street and shares a parking lot with Pulaski's bar and a taxi company so just mind where you park. Inside the walls are a deep goldenrod with green tables decorated with painted red gourd vases. The jewel tones were warm and cheery on a cloudy autumn night and the atmosphere was casual and dimly lit.

Dakar is a byob restaurant for the moment. They do have some traditional drinks hibiscus juice, ginger juice, or the two blended together and they also serve Senegalese coffee.

I tried the combo hibiscus and ginger juice.It is an enchanting lavender color, sweet and floral with a zingy ginger kick to the finish. In the middle of winter, sipping this will taste like a little bit of heaven !

We ordered Naem (pronounced Name),Dibbi and Chebujenn. Naem are eggrolls, but think Lebanese meets Vietnam. I know that sounds far fetched but trust me they are mouthwateringly goooood! Crispy fried wrappers contain a spiced ground beef and shrimp mixture that's been tossed with rice noodles. There's a zesty dipping sauce too. Ask for extra napkins , you will want them.

Our entrees arrive a few minutes after we finish the Naem. The timing is perfect. I ordered Chebujenn, a traditional fish and spicy rice dish with vegetables. The rice is warmingly spicy, a gentle heat that is dispersed through the food and works on my sinuses, but is very mild compared to things like scotch bonnet peppers and wasabi. Mixed in with the rice are bits of vegetable and sausage and a blend of other spices. Surrounding this is a cooked cabbage leaf, a carrot, and a large piece of yucca, which tastes a bit like fiber-y potato, and two chunks of fish still on the bone. The fish is yummy, succulent and heavy. It was cooked with a spicy, pepper- herb- green (okra perhaps) mixture that is hotter than the rice and sweeter but the amount is tiny and contrasts nicely with the oiliness of the fish.

My friends had ordered Dibbi which is lamb with caramelized onion served over couscous with a side of cooked onion tossed in a lemon mustard sauce. Now these are flavors I would never have thought to blend but the lemon- mustard- onion combo is tangy and delish! I look forward to coming back so I can enjoy a whole plate of it!

The owner came to tell us that his sister is visiting form France and is making crepes for dessert. We decided we might just have to try one. While we wait, we look at Google maps of Dakar- how amazing to have dinner in Rhode Island and look at the Senegal coastline via your phone!

The crepe was light and dry with a chocolate filling. Not quite "wafer thin" but close. It is not the dense crepe I remember from Paris, but after the rich meal the lightness is a perfect compliment.

We basked in the contentment of good food, making mental notes of what we want to try on our next visit and ponder what to bring for wines, perhaps a Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino, or a Pinot Noir? The possibilities are many and Dakar's menu is on their website: www.dakarrestaurant.com so you can plan your beverage selections. Bon appetit!

Sunshine Frittata

Saturday morning fell rainy and damp- I'd slept late and was halfway through my first cup of New Harvest organic, shade grown coffee, nursing one of those sinus headaches from hell that requires ibuprofen and patience.

The phone rings and my friends have decided we need breakfast at Nick's on Broadway . They are on their way. I figure by the time I am presentable and headache -free I will be hungry and a table will be ready - Nick's is notorious for a long line and it's Saturday -I'm thinking 30 minutes at least. Well 30 minutes turns into 45 on my end( a business call, hair that requires product before leaving the house) but I note that no one has called to say we are being seated.

So I mosey on down to Nick's, texting as I go. The caffeine has connected with my brain and I can multitask- this involves the aforementioned texting while walking and avoiding all the dog poop that is all over the sidewalk these days. - Please people, please pick up after your dog! It's not that hard and its good karma. Thank you!

Another 15 minutes drift by after I meet up with my friends and the waitress comes out twice to reassure us. Good call on the managed expectations but it is still a 1 hour and 15minute wait! Once seated, the coffee and tea appear immediately. Our waitress tells us the specials, she gets to the last one- a frittata with corn, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and gruyere.

A collective moan rises from the table- 3 of us opt for the frittata.

The divine concoction arrives like a plate of happy sunshine and piping hot. It is dense and wonderful and there's lots of bacon! Yummy, crispy bacon, just the way I like it, has been diced into the frittatta, but mmmm....the corn takes it to a whole other level. The frittata has a layer of egg then the corn niblets, shaved right off the cob, then a mixed layer of egg,bacon, scallion, more corn, gruyere cheese and tomato. The corn is sweet and juicy and the kernels pop as you bite into them adding a succulent texture. The smoke of the bacon blends exquisitely with the salt and sugar of the gruyere and the tomatoes taste like the sunshine we've been missing - rich and sweet.
There are oohs and mmms and aahs around the table. It was worth the wait for such a perfect blend of flavors. We are content , replete, and very happily fed. We will be back!

A good duck is hard to find

No,really! Bad duck is far too common and such a huge disappointment. I usually won't risk ordering it, but my mom has raved about this restaurant for the past 3 years and so...


Occasionally in life we are treated to really special dining moments and yesterday was certainly one of them. Nestled in the farmlands of Brooklyn, CT is the delectable Golden Lamb Buttery. The Golden Lamb resides in a giant old barn complete with antiques, a theater stage, a veranda with a breathtaking view and three dining rooms.

We were hoping for lunch on the veranda and ordered our wine: chardonnay for Mom and a lovely Sauvignon Blanc for me but the breeze was too fierce for Nana so after a few moments of admiring the rolling pastures, complete with cows,several donkeys and a large duck pond in the distance, we left the bucolic view for warmer indoor dining.

To make my grandmother's passage with a walker easier, we were allowed to enter the dining area via the kitchen, which was charming in its country farm house style, surprisingly tiny and completely immaculate. Always a comfort!

The dining areas are cozy, intimate without feeling like you are on top of your neighboring diners and the decor is whimsical memorabilia mixed with colonial antiques. The combination leaves you feeling completely at home and like you've stepped into a piece of history as you cross the practically 12 inch wide floor boards to sit at your table.

I know you are all waiting to hear about the food but I had to set the table for you, if you will. The menu arrives on a chalkboard with our cheerful waitress who tells us the specials and kindly repeats things for my Nana who is slightly in denial about the usefulness of hearing aids. This is the sort of place where there are only 4 soups and five entrees to choose from, but everything is done superbly well. I order the potato leek soup for an appetizer and get a bowl of amazement! There's bacon blended with the potato and leek and a hint of cayenne so that the soup gives a very subtle heat without any single flavor taking over and running a dictatorship. Its creamy without being heavy and I am in gastronomic heaven before my entree has even arrived!

I ordered the duck pesto pasta and it is a vision to behold! The duck is shredded and blended with homemade pesto, peas and fusilli pasta served room temperature over a bed of baby greens and encircled by slices of heirloom tomatoes and tiny dots of balsamic. It is beautiful to see and delightful to the palate - I can barely tell I am eating duck - its rich and succulent without being gamey or oily , the pesto delicate, the pasta perfectly al dente and the mixed greens and tomatoes taste fresh and pungent with a slight smoke flavor in a few of the heirloom tomatoes blending perfectly with the duck.

Mom ordered the Tuscan shrimp salad and Nana chose the Asparagus and Crab Crepes- we were not a family who shared food on this day so I can't comment on the other two dishes but we did share the blissed out contentment of happy foodies who have found dining nirvana . It should be noted that my Nana, who is 97 and does not often get tempted to eat a large amount of food, devoured both of her crepes.

Dessert was almost too much after such a lovely meal but we tried a chocolate decadence and a key lime cheesecake. Chocolate decadence was dark chocolate and pecans more a torte than a pie - delish but the crust was a bit flat- I do like a flaky pastry crust and this one seemed to lack a bit of oomph.The key lime cheese cake was very good and very sweet- while I prefer the more intense tang of a key lime pie, Mom loved the light sweet taste.

This was a meal to treasure and to say that The Golden Lamb is a special place doesn't quite do it justice - treat yourself and go- its worth it! You will need reservations and lunch is much gentler on the pocket than dinner. For details, hours, and special events checkout their website www.thegoldenlamb.com

Until next time, this is the small plate diner wishing you great dining and a happy kitchen!