"Way out west in the suburb of Lakewood, there’s a building in the parking lot of a bowling alley that looks like it might house a Mexican restaurant. It doesn’t. Within that façade is African Grill and Bar, run by Ghanaian-born, Nigerian-raised Theodora Osei-Fordwuo and her charming husband Sylvester. As indefatigable as she is talented, Theo cooks, and she cooks, and she cooks some more. The result is several pages’ worth of specialties from her former corner of the world: egusi, chakalaka, tuo zaafi, yassa, and so on. Stews and soups make up the better part of the menu, accompanied by an array of starches for sopping them up. Often lumped together as fufu but going by many names, these start with the likes of cassava, cornmeal, plantains, and yams, which come boiled, pounded, and formed into a dough-like ball or cylinder that serves as a soothing counterpart to the flavor blasts from the stews. Sensational starters include lamb samosas; kelewele, chunks of sweet plantain fried with ginger and topped with peanuts; and spiced turkey-gizzard kebabs. Go when you’ve got some free time and some close friends to join you." - Ruth Tobias
