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.
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.
(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