Teranga/ Senegalese South End

[9lives]

Nice lunch here today. I put comments on my flickr site and won't repeat them here. I will mention that the foood, service and decor is top notch.

I'd say this was the best SEnegalese food I've ever had but that wouldn't mean much since it's the only Senegalese food I've ever had..:) It won't be my last.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61246842...

1746 Washington St, Boston 266 0003

[scavdog]

Has anyone been here as of late? Sengalese would be something new for us..

[Allstonian]

Some more recent reports here:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/768151

[lipoff]

Yes, I would say that it's quite good. I thought that the accara (fried black eye peas) and nems (spring rolls) sounded more interesting then they actually were. The Salade Vietnamienne reminded me a lot of the "Cambodian" salad at the Elephant Walk (one of the very few dishes I've ever enjoyed at the Elephant Walk!) But where Teranga really shines is in the entrees. The Poisson Braisé (whole fish), Dibi (lamb), Michoui (lamb), and Yassa Guinaar (chicken) have each been fantastic. The only entree I haven't liked as much is their version of Thiébou Djeun. They also have three terrific non-alcoholic juice mixtures --- ginger juice, bissap juice, and bouye juice. The ginger juice is especially good. Last time I was there I saw they had have another menu, I think it's called a tapas menu, which I've never been given and so have never ordered from. It looked very interesting, and I hope to try that menu next time. Very small restaurant, beautifully decorated. Kind but somewhat befuddled service.

[gini]

We finally got around to this place this week. Thanks for the report, 9!

We shared:
Accara - seasoned black eye pea batter fried and served with a zesty tomato-onion sauce; the 3 fritters themselves were perfectly harmless and possibly tasteless, even though they had a great fry job. The sauce, however, was awesome.

Fataya - savory pastry stuffed with seasoned fish filling and served with a special house sauce; filled with salmon! Nice and fishy, if you like that sort of thing. Serves with some sort of perfectly normal aioli

Yassa Guinaar - Marinated grilled chicken cooked in a lemon and caramelized onion sauce and served with jasmine rice; that chicken was so freaking tender, I couldn't get over it. The sauce was nice, but I did ask for a side of super extra spicy sauce that burned the roof of my tongue to take it up a notch. There's something right about onions and mustard.

Michoui - Marinated roasted lamb shank stuffed with herbs and served with a caramelized onion sauce and Moroccan couscous; this was the best dish of the night. Lamb was super tender, onion sauce was delicious, and I loved the sweet and sour couscous.

The waitress suggested Thiéboudienne and Djibi to us, but said that we would have to enjoy well done fish to like the former, so we opted out. Michoui sounded better to us than Djibi anyway.

[Allstonian]

Thanks for the update! Barmy and I ate there several times when they first opened, but we haven't been back in forever. I've been wondering how they were doing - nice to hear the food is still good.

[kayowinter]

DH and I went there tonight for the first time for dinner. Lovely! I'm not sure what I was expecting or imaging but it really blew us away. We shared the salad "ordinere" which isn't what I think of as ordinary - spring lettuce with sweet potatoes, white potatoes and beets in a garlicky delicious dressing. Sounds heavy but it wasn't. DH had grilled lamb chops that were tender and garlicky with a lot of that delicious char taste from the grill. Garlic I think played a very big role in a lot of the dishes. I had a lamb stew that had things like sweet potato and cabbage and it too was totally new tasting and delicious without being weird.
The only thing we got that I would probably not order again is the baobab juice drink. DH liked it enough to finish but it was very thick and seemed more like something I would use to moisturize my skin with rather than drink. The ginger drink was amazing and I will likely be craving it soon.
If you have been thinking about going - go soon! I fear for this little gem of a restaurant as it was empty except for us (yes early on a wednesday BUT still!). Even if you haven't been thinking about going you should still try it. It is very reasonably priced too - an excellent deal in an often pricey neighborhood.

[cassoulady]

Is there much on the menu that is vegetarian friendly?

[9lives]

There are a handful of vegetarian items..meat or veggie spring rolls..do you eat fish? They seemed so accomodating, I imagine that they'd be able to make many of the dishes veggie friendly if asked,

[cassoulady]

I am an omnivore but have a vegetarian friend that eats eggd and dairy but no meats or fish so I am always looking for a new place to go that has options for him.

[yumyum]

9! This looks great. Definitely on my short list now. Thanks for the pictures.

[kobuta]

Looks very interesting, especially the juices. How are the prices (i.e., trendy SE prices or more reminiscent of a casual dining place)?

[9lives]

Apps and salads were $6-7, Mains were $12-13. At dinner, mains go to $14-17. Lunch with tax/tip was $28; which is more than an avg lunch...but it works out to 2 meals. More than a Chinatown lunch plate but less than a "full blown" dinner in the SE..though I didn't have wine or beer.(don't think they have full liquor) I glanced at the small wine listand it seemed reasonably priced. The juices were indeed superb.

[Bob Dobalina]

The purple drink looks a lot like sorrel juice.

[9lives]

If memory serves, that's what it was. It was my second choice. White drink was from a fruit that I wasn't familiar with..too thick for my taste. The ginger was blow away good. Scary to think what a skilled bartender with all the fixings could do with it..:)

[Bob Dobalina]

How would you describe the white juice, in terms of taste? I wonder if it is guanabana...

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

The white juice is baobab. I prefer the ginger myself.

[Taralli]

"Bissap juice", which is sorrell or hibiscus juice, pineapple juice, orange flower water and vanilla sugar all mixed together. Personally, loved the ginger juice the best.