"One of the best places to look for Nigerian food in the city is in the vicinity of JFK Airport, ideal for travelers who want to stop for a snack or a beer in the area. Indeed, Nigerian restaurants are among the few West African establishments in New York City that offer alcoholic beverages. Such is the case at Tropical Grill, located among auto body shops and warehouses in Queens near Baisley Pond Park just northeast of the airport. In the afternoon, the gates are often pulled down tight, but try the front door and find the place open for lunch. No better starter than puff-puff (free-form, just-fried doughnuts) or suya (peanut-dusted kebabs originating in northern Nigeria). Lighter lunch appetites will go for the goat or fish pepper soups, which are dark, flavorful broths fortified with grains of paradise, the African answer to Sichuan peppercorns. Most meals involve picking a starch like pounded yam or amala, which are delivered in a wrapped balls and matched with a sauce and a meat. Several friends and I recently enjoyed one bowl of bitter leaf, and another ogbono (also known as bush mango), which is a seed that gives its sauce a wonderfully slimy texture something like okra. For the less adventurous, stewed tilapia and fried chicken are available." - Robert Sietsema
