Afrikando, Seattle
By Dan Larsen, for SeattleInsider.com
Originally published by Cox Interactive Media

Located in the sleepy business end of Belltown, Afrikando has since late 1997 been quietly going about the business of dragging Seattle to the epiphany that African food, when made well, offers some of the most flavorful of the world's "ethnic" dishes.

Unassuming in a way that completely escapes the sometime gaudiness of many of its Belltown neighbors, this brainchild of Senegalese chef and owner Jacques Sarr resists the temptation to drown the mighty-white Seattle in African kitsch and instead focuses on the food. The decor is finely presented, with Senegalese prints and masks adorning the walls and the gentle beats of world music filling the air, but this is less about the African experience and more about a devotion to the French-infused cuisine of Sarr's West African homeland.

Senegal's national dish, thiebu djen (stewed halibut with eggplant, carrots, cabbage and cassava, served in a spicy tomato sauce with a punch of habenero pepper), is the lead item on a menu that can read to the uninitiated like an exercise in palate-numbing boredom. But by invoking a culinary arsenal of herbs, spices and peppers, Sarr makes the seemingly simple stunningly delectable. Start with the akra (the only appetizer on the menu -- black-eye-pea fritters with a tomato and shrimp sauce). Then move on to the mafe (a combination of jasmine rice, yams and carrots drenched in a garlic-and-onion fuelled peanut sauce) with a side of the excellent, authentic couscous, which comes covered with yassa, a mustard-and-onion sauce with a kick.

For an added compliment to this bounty of new and unusual flavors, try one of their homemade ginger, tamarind or hibiscus juices (since Sarr is muslim, alcohol is not served at Afrikando). Dessert options are limited, but are an interesting and flavorful experience. Try a bowl of the tasty thiakry, a thick couscous pudding with fruit, sour cream, vanilla sauce and yogurt.

Overall, dishes are mild to moderate. If you're used to a little extra heat, ask them to stoke the fire with Jacques' special sauce. Otherwise, the "default" heat level will suit most palates.

Afrikando is a great option for vegetarians too, with so many of the dishes and sauces acting just as well without meat as with, and a daring option for first dates looking to make an unusual impression (the setting is intimate, with few tables and a quiet, though close-knit ambiance).

Note:
Because of its size, reservations are strongly recommended, especially on weekends and for groups of 4 and over. Parking is available on the street, or in the pay lot just behind the 76 station on Denny.

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