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Yassa – Senegalese

Yassa – Senegalese
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  • Post #31 - May 3rd, 2007, 9:56 am
    Post #31 - May 3rd, 2007, 9:56 am Post #31 - May 3rd, 2007, 9:56 am
    When Trine Tsouderos says, "Bottom line: Be prepared to eat whatever the kitchen staff is serving that day," she makes it sound like diners are subject to the whims of the kitchen when, as you rightly observe, she was well aware of the more limited menu at lunch (a common practice at many restaurants), and it doesn't take much research to uncover the fact that service here is unhurried.

    I love kids, but going to a restaurant -- any restaurant -- with a toddler is going to put pressure on a situation, and it's not really fair to slam the restaurant for making the experience uncomfortable because you came with child in tow.

    HOWEVER, I'm very glad that Tsouderos wrote about this place and put it on people's radar. For a place that's relatively off-the-beaten-path and that serves a relatively neglected cuisine (by Chicago standards), any publicity (even unfair publicity) can be a good thing.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #32 - May 3rd, 2007, 9:59 am
    Post #32 - May 3rd, 2007, 9:59 am Post #32 - May 3rd, 2007, 9:59 am
    Thanks for pointing this out. That has to be one of the worst restaurant reviews I've ever read - mostly for the reasons you mention.
  • Post #33 - July 28th, 2007, 11:04 pm
    Post #33 - July 28th, 2007, 11:04 pm Post #33 - July 28th, 2007, 11:04 pm
    My mom knows the owner of this place pretty well, and i tagged along with her tonight for dinner.

    We got there around 8 and the place was almost full. It was nice to see. I guess that during the weekdays this place is dead, but it picks up considerably during the weekend.

    Tonight they had a band playing in the back room (as with most saturday nights i gather) and they were awesome. soft singer, with only a guitar player and bass - perfect for people eating.

    The server was, in fact, that same highschool kid (i assume) and while extremely nice, not as efficient and knowledgable as he could've been....

    ....but all that goes out the window with me becuase i'm usually in NO rush to get anywhere, and for an entree that i could've split into two meals for under $10 - whats there really to complain about? common.

    I ordered the Yassa Chicken, and unfortunately my mom ordered the Yassa fish. So, sans the meat, the flavors were the same. Both the dishes were fantastic. Chicken was grilled, nicely charred, still very moist and tender and the flavors of the lemon and mustard marinade sank in all the way into the thick breast meat - nice. the fish was equally as good, the entire fish fried up, and was as tender as you could ask for.

    I know this is late, but i thought maybe - just maybe - you guys had missed this one. I'll never assume such obsurd things anymore :lol:

    All in all - the service was slow, and the server had little knowledge of what was going on in general ;) , but this place will serve you up some really good food - and we paid $11 each.

    Either way - if you've had a bad experience in the past, go on a saturday night. the service might still be a little slow due to volume, but there's a nice band and you can relax and eat some damn good food.
  • Post #34 - July 29th, 2007, 11:20 am
    Post #34 - July 29th, 2007, 11:20 am Post #34 - July 29th, 2007, 11:20 am
    I also went to Yassa on a Saturday night with a group of 8. I called ahead to make sure they could accommodate our group. The restaurant was able to accommodate us (in a leisurely fashion). Granted, we were in no rush whatsoever.

    Between the diners in my group we tried just about everything. The Yassa Chicken was the standout. The Yassa Lamb being a close second. Ginger beer was best I've had in Chicago.

    Some members of my group discussed the appetizers (Nem and Fataya) being asian-influenced... I was unaware of any asian-influence in Western African cuisine. One of my diner friends swears that there is a Vietnamese influence on Senegalese cuisine. Is that true?
  • Post #35 - July 29th, 2007, 7:28 pm
    Post #35 - July 29th, 2007, 7:28 pm Post #35 - July 29th, 2007, 7:28 pm
    Felicevita wrote:I was unaware of any asian-influence in Western African cuisine. One of my diner friends swears that there is a Vietnamese influence on Senegalese cuisine. Is that true?

    Yes, there is. I just learned of it in a brief feature in a recent Gourmet magazine (May, maybe?)

    I looked for it online specifically to bookmark it since it wasn't my magazine, but alas, it was nowhere to be found.

    I did bookmark this Robert Sietsema review of an NYC Senegalese restaurant which briefly mentions the Vietnamese influence:

    Big news: Dibiterie Cheikh has broken the appetizer barrier. While most West African restaurants eschew first courses, Dibiterie provides two: fataya ($5), four small half-moon empanadas stuffed with kippered herring, accompanied by a fiery Scotch bonnet dipping sauce; and nems, Vietnamese spring rolls stuffed with beef and vermicelli. Why Vietnamese? These rolls were brought to Dakar by Vietnam War refugees in the early 1970s. Back in Saigon, pork would have been the preferred stuffing, but these spring rolls remain otherwise faithful to the originals.


    If I can get my hands on that Gourmet, I could certainly type in the text; there wasn't that much.
    Joe G.

    "Whatever may be wrong with the world, at least it has some good things to eat." -- Cowboy Jack Clement
  • Post #36 - October 20th, 2007, 3:10 pm
    Post #36 - October 20th, 2007, 3:10 pm Post #36 - October 20th, 2007, 3:10 pm
    Finally got a chance to try Yassa last night.

    Image
    We started with Fataya - a fried empanada of sorts, stuffed with shredded meat, onions and spices, and served with a spicy sauce. Large for an app, but delicious - spicing complimented the meat flavor without overwhelming it.

    Image
    We also tried the Nem - sort of an African spring roll. The dipping sauce was very sweet. Definitely an Asian influence.

    Image
    Beef brochettes with plantains - couldn't tell what cut of meat it was, but had a great beefy flavor without being overly chewy.

    Image
    The Dibi Lamb (served here with atieke, a type of couscous) is apparently a specialty. The thin lamb chops were well-spiced and marinated - I could still taste them this morning - to me, that's a good thing.

    But I have a question for some of the food anthropologists here. having just eaten at Palace Gate earlier in the week, it would seem that the foods of Senegal are very different from the foods of Ghana, despite the fact that they're both West African countries, not all that far from each other (or maybe it's just what these particular restaurants choose to offer?) The Palace Gate/Ghanian food was mostly stew-type foods, while there were no stews on the Yassa dinner menu (there were some on the lunch menu). Is there a historical basis why their cuisines seem so different?
  • Post #37 - October 22nd, 2007, 1:58 pm
    Post #37 - October 22nd, 2007, 1:58 pm Post #37 - October 22nd, 2007, 1:58 pm
    nr706 wrote:Finally got a chance to try Yassa last night.

    hey you're not a pullmanite are you? some people in the pullman wine club started an off shoot... a dining group... and friday was the first event, held at Yassa... (did you see a large group of 15 or 20?) ... i was supposed to go but was in detroit all week and was only getting in minutes before going so I decided to skip out.
  • Post #38 - October 22nd, 2007, 2:05 pm
    Post #38 - October 22nd, 2007, 2:05 pm Post #38 - October 22nd, 2007, 2:05 pm
    I wondered who that group was - there were pix of food being taken, but I didn't notice any LTHers. They seemed to be having a great time. Unfortunately (or maybe to their benefit) I didn't get up for the dancing ...
  • Post #39 - October 22nd, 2007, 3:21 pm
    Post #39 - October 22nd, 2007, 3:21 pm Post #39 - October 22nd, 2007, 3:21 pm
    nr706 wrote:I wondered who that group was - there were pix of food being taken, but I didn't notice any LTHers. They seemed to be having a great time. Unfortunately (or maybe to their benefit) I didn't get up for the dancing ...


    oooh..dancing. i'm afraid to know what that looked like! did they whip out Morris sticks I wonder? some of them are into Morris dancing...
  • Post #40 - April 4th, 2008, 10:25 am
    Post #40 - April 4th, 2008, 10:25 am Post #40 - April 4th, 2008, 10:25 am
    Went back to Yassa last night. It was, again, excellent. We started with the Ginger Juice and the Bouya (Baobab Juice). Not wanting to duplicate the comments upthread, but the Ginger Juice was very intense, gingery, but well balanced. The Baobab juice was a little richer, thicker, and a bit blander, but still interesting and worth ordering.

    For main courses, we had the Yassa Chicken.
    Image
    It was a very tender, lemon-y grilled chicken on the bone, served in a vegetable-laden sauce, with white rice.

    We also had the Sauce Graine - a dish from the Ivory Coast (like Senegal, also a former French colony) that combines oxtail, shrimp and crab. I had already dug into this dish before I remembered to get my camera out. (Sorry - I know, a cardinal sin among LTHers.) We had it with fufu, which I believe was a bit denser than the fufu from Palace Gate, but still very good. We also got an order of atieke (aka manoic, aka cassava) which was a a nice, somewhat bland starch considerably enlivened by the palm oil-based sauce.
    Image
    (top, Sauce Graine with fufu, below, sauce for atieke.)

    My friend said the ambiance reminded her of her experiences at a number of restaurants in the larger cities of Africa. The family that runs it is particularly notable for their friendliness, and willingness to ask "what do you like ... well, maybe try this," thus making the cuisine very accessible to people who might otherwise think of Senegalese food too challenging.

    Another example of their friendliness - when we first arrived, neither of us had quarters to feed the parking meter. So we asked at the restaurant if they'd change a bill for quarters. The waitress/owner went to the cash register, pulled out a few quarters, and said "take them - no problem." She declined to accept my bill. How often do you find a restaurant that generous even before you sit down and order?

    I will get at least two more meals out of the leftovers I took home. The total bill, sans tip, was less than $30.

    The evening was topped off by seeing Mr. Renaissance Man, Jazzfood, with his group performing their Thursday gig at Vintage. A very fun night.

    I'd be surprised if anyone disagreed that Yassa is possibly the finest Senegalese restaurant in the entire city of Chicago.

    Note that Yassa was originally billed as African-Caribbean - they've since smartly taken the Caribbean items off the menu, concentrating of the food from Senegal and other areas of West Africa.

    Yassa African Restaurant
    716 E. 79th St.
    Chicago, IL 60619
    773-488-9630

    Vintage Wine Bar and Restaurant
    1942 W. Division St.
    Chicago, IL 60622
    773-772-3400

    Palace Gate
    4548 N. Magnolia
    Chicago
  • Post #41 - June 24th, 2011, 10:22 pm
    Post #41 - June 24th, 2011, 10:22 pm Post #41 - June 24th, 2011, 10:22 pm
    Had a great experience at Yassa a few weeks ago. It's the type of restaurant that belongs in Lincoln Park or Oak Brook, not Chatham. Food was wonderful. Atmosphere was great, even though I was one of a handful there. Staff talked to me quite a bit - even wanted to make sure my photos were okay.

    As an aside - I had walked past Cafe Central for many years (never even realized it was still open). Then I saw Check, Please and immediately raced over. Walking in, I felt out-of-place for about five minutes. By the end of that first meal, I felt like I had been going to Cafe Central my whole life. That's the same experience I had with Yassa.

    There's a lot of Senegalese art on the walls, and a small stage/gift shop in the back room.

    Image

    [img]http://score670.com/phpBB/download/file.php?id=503&t=1][/img]

    Image

    Image

    I ordered the Yassa chicken, which was grilled to perfection. I've never had Senegalese food before, so this really was a new taste for me. But outstanding, and I can't wait to go back.

    [img]http://score670.com/phpBB/download/file.php?id=506&t=1][/img]
    Last edited by c_howitt_fealz on June 24th, 2011, 10:57 pm, edited 3 times in total.
  • Post #42 - June 24th, 2011, 10:44 pm
    Post #42 - June 24th, 2011, 10:44 pm Post #42 - June 24th, 2011, 10:44 pm
    c_howitt_fealz wrote:Had a great experience at Yassa a few weeks ago. It's the type of restaurant that belongs in Lincoln Park or Oak Brook, not Chatham.


    Why not all three places?

    Glad you had a good time there. Been ages since I made the trip. Be nice if they were in Oak Park, too.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #43 - July 11th, 2011, 5:58 am
    Post #43 - July 11th, 2011, 5:58 am Post #43 - July 11th, 2011, 5:58 am
    Just checking to see what the consensus was on this place- they've got a Groupon today. Hopefully it won't be a Check, Please!-effect repeat.
  • Post #44 - July 11th, 2011, 6:04 am
    Post #44 - July 11th, 2011, 6:04 am Post #44 - July 11th, 2011, 6:04 am
    abe_froeman wrote:Just checking to see what the consensus was on this place- they've got a Groupon today. Hopefully it won't be a Check, Please!-effect repeat.


    I go a couple times a year and am still a huge fan; the food is a good as ever. The only thing that keeps me from going back more often is the location being so far away. I've also yet to bring somebody with who didn't love the food.
  • Post #45 - July 11th, 2011, 12:27 pm
    Post #45 - July 11th, 2011, 12:27 pm Post #45 - July 11th, 2011, 12:27 pm
    Tambreet wrote:
    abe_froeman wrote:Just checking to see what the consensus was on this place- they've got a Groupon today. Hopefully it won't be a Check, Please!-effect repeat.


    I go a couple times a year and am still a huge fan; the food is a good as ever. The only thing that keeps me from going back more often is the location being so far away. I've also yet to bring somebody with who didn't love the food.


    Thats good to know - there had been the odd variable review (Iam in the area often over summer, and had driven by it, but havent stopped in yet...). Given some of the rave-reviews here (and other places), Ive always planned to stop in, just havent actually done so yet!

    I shall now make sure to purchase the Groupon :-) Its 50% off, and seems to be valid until January next year! (It can be found here: http://www.groupon.com/r/uu8217324 )

    c8w
  • Post #46 - March 12th, 2012, 11:46 am
    Post #46 - March 12th, 2012, 11:46 am Post #46 - March 12th, 2012, 11:46 am
    Yassa's Yelp reviews are filled with nothing but love for the large portions at cheap prices and friendly service. After the Check Please plug and hearing lots of great things, we have been meaning to check it out for a while, and finally the night was right to head down there to sample the fare...

    Mains: Brochette Chicken, Maffe
    Dessert: Thiackry

    Critique:
    The Brochette chicken was 3 skewers of white meat chicken, marinated with a "special sauce" which came with a side of two different styles of fried onions and we selected a side of atieke (a cassava couscous). The atieke was a revelation- similar to couscous, but with a more rustic look and flavor, almost smoky. We must seek out this ingredient to use in a future dinners! The chicken was good (as far as chicken goes), but the best part of the plate was the seasoned onions, two different kinds. They had a pickled quality to them, with flavors I could not pinpoint. When I asked the cook, she said she used seasoned salt, pepper and cayenne.

    The Maffe lamb in a peanut butter & tomato sauce was good- not too much peanut butter flavor, it was nicely balanced by the acidity of the tomatoes. The sauce was wonderful with the atieke.
    Thiackry is a steamed millet in sour cream. The millet has an almost powdery texture- this was not very delicious, but a fitting end to the meal.

    The food was solid & tasty, but nothing incredibly notable with regards to different flavor profiles than we are used to. I don't think it lived up to the hype, but we may have done a poor job on meal selection. (I think the fish here might be what to order.) We would like to go back with a larger group in order to be able to check out more of the menu. Anyone interested?
    S&M's Underground
    lab grade food, diy kitchen

    http://www.smunderground.org
    Check us out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/smunderground.org
  • Post #47 - March 19th, 2012, 10:39 pm
    Post #47 - March 19th, 2012, 10:39 pm Post #47 - March 19th, 2012, 10:39 pm
    One suggestion is to get the dish for which the place is named -- Yassa. The yassa chicken was (at least when I was there) excellent. They also make a yassa fish. Lots of onions and lemon, so big flavor.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #48 - January 19th, 2015, 10:21 am
    Post #48 - January 19th, 2015, 10:21 am Post #48 - January 19th, 2015, 10:21 am
    FYI they've moved from 79th in Chatham to 35th and King in Bronzeville
    2019 Chicago Food Business License Issuances Map: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AGfUU ... sp=sharing
  • Post #49 - January 19th, 2015, 10:34 am
    Post #49 - January 19th, 2015, 10:34 am Post #49 - January 19th, 2015, 10:34 am
    marothisu wrote:FYI they've moved from 79th in Chatham to 35th and King in Bronzeville

    3511 S King Dr.
    Chicago, IL 60653
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #50 - January 19th, 2015, 10:36 am
    Post #50 - January 19th, 2015, 10:36 am Post #50 - January 19th, 2015, 10:36 am
    Dave148 wrote:
    marothisu wrote:FYI they've moved from 79th in Chatham to 35th and King in Bronzeville

    3511 S King Dr.
    Chicago, IL 60653


    It's where Mississippi Rick's Munchies used to be. The awning for that is still there, but there's a "sign" underneath it saying Yassa.
    2019 Chicago Food Business License Issuances Map: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AGfUU ... sp=sharing
  • Post #51 - March 31st, 2022, 11:11 am
    Post #51 - March 31st, 2022, 11:11 am Post #51 - March 31st, 2022, 11:11 am
    Going to Yassa at end of April with a friend who is a big fan, any recent LTH experiences?
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #52 - August 17th, 2022, 11:22 am
    Post #52 - August 17th, 2022, 11:22 am Post #52 - August 17th, 2022, 11:22 am
    Sweet Willie wrote:Going to Yassa at end of April with a friend who is a big fan, any recent LTH experiences?
    end of April turned into mid July :)
    friend and I had dinner last night at Yassa. I let her choose as I know she had favorites she was looking forward to.
    She chose the Yassa lamb chops & Yassa Red Snapper, with sides of plantains, steamed cabbage, jolof rice & atieke.

    Enjoyed all, wish both lamb & fish were cooked slightly less but that's nitpicking, I'll be back as I want to try the maffe as well as one of the thiou curry dishes.
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #53 - August 17th, 2022, 1:55 pm
    Post #53 - August 17th, 2022, 1:55 pm Post #53 - August 17th, 2022, 1:55 pm
    Next time you go, if they have it, try the baobab seed drink. Rich and creamy and not the usual thing. Also, while chicken yassa may sound less exciting, it's the national dish of Senegal, so you might want to try it. But it's all good.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #54 - August 31st, 2022, 3:04 pm
    Post #54 - August 31st, 2022, 3:04 pm Post #54 - August 31st, 2022, 3:04 pm
    A bit late, but for others, I think the maafe is amazing here, but be warned it is super rich. My problem with Yassa is they are freaking slow and a bit inconsistent. Sometimes their jollof is divine and other times it tastes dry and too smokey.
  • Post #55 - August 31st, 2022, 8:01 pm
    Post #55 - August 31st, 2022, 8:01 pm Post #55 - August 31st, 2022, 8:01 pm
    botd wrote:A bit late, but for others, I think the maafe is amazing here, but be warned it is super rich. My problem with Yassa is they are freaking slow and a bit inconsistent. Sometimes their jollof is divine and other times it tastes dry and too smokey.


    Being slow has been an issue since they opened. It has been several years since I was there, but last visit, the owner came and sat at our table and said he knew people thought they were slow, and they were working on it -- but understand, that's just what their culture is like. So don't go fainting with hunger.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #56 - September 7th, 2022, 7:45 am
    Post #56 - September 7th, 2022, 7:45 am Post #56 - September 7th, 2022, 7:45 am
    Cynthia wrote:...the owner came and sat at our table and said he knew people thought they were slow, and they were working on it...
    Owner stopped by, I admitted I hadn't dined at Yassa for many many years, he busted my chops about it which I found amusing, he also gave kudos to my friend for "dragging me back" :-)

    Owner did say that like virtually every business out there, staffing issues are an issue, perhaps that could be contributing to consistency issue.
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.

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