The sprawling boulevard that is 116^th street in Harlem is widely considered to be the hub of New York’s Senegalese community—“Little Senegal,” as it is affectionately dubbed.  A trip to 116^th might mean sorting through the dazzling African textiles and handmade artisan crafts at the nearby Malcolm Shabazz Market, ruminating on the curious blend of pedestrians clad as frequently in Oxford-cloth as they are in colorful batik boubous (traditional Senegalese garb) and swinging your hips to the rhythmic mbalax that leaks out of every storefront.  So too, might it mean settling into one of the area’s many Senegalese haunts to explore the untold pleasures of Harlem’s West African cuisine.

Senegalese food leans heavily on stews (often made with two meats) thickened with okra, sweet potatoes, and alternative proteins like black-eyed peas, peanuts and lentils. Fish, such as red snapper and bluefish are enormously popular, manifest in offerings like Thiebu Djeun, a stuffed fish stew and the national dish of Senegal.  Rice is the staple grain though other starches like millet, plantain and taro are often used as well.  Stews and starches tend to be highly spiced with Melegueta pepper, tumeric and palm oil (often omitted from Western menus, or relegated to lunch, thanks to its absurd levels of saturated fat).

A recent meal at Africa Kine introduced us to the exotic delights of this hearty, intricate, but often-overlooked fare.  We sampled the Thiebu Yap—tender chunks of slow-cooked lamb resting on a mound of piquant fried rice.  A split hard-boiled egg and slices of undressed cucumber provided a welcome respite from the rice’s indomitable heat.   The Dibi—grilled lamb in a savory heap alongside a knob of raisin-flecked couscous—boasted the evening’s star attraction; a relish of softened onions stewed with mustard, vinegar and black pepper.  Other options included a daily grilled fish served with Aloko (sweet fried plantains steeped in a mustard sauce), Dakhim, a lamb stew thickened with peanut butter, and Suppa Kandja, a lamb and fish stew bathed in vibrant palm oil and chopped okra (available only on the lunch menu).

We washed it all down with an icy Bouye, a thick, ginger-spiked beverage culled from the fruit of the Baobob Tree, and a few spoonfuls of Thiakry, fine couscous mixed with sweet cream and vanilla bean.  We paid our bill (a paltry $30), thanked our patient hostess (jëre-jëf in Wolof, the most common language of Senegal) and pushed on into the Harlem night.

Bullfrog Bonus:  Baal ma camon means “Excuse my left hand” in Wolof.  It’s common for the Senegalese to avoid the use of their left hand in eating, serving or greeting and will employ this phrase if its use is unavoidable. 

Photo Credit/Daniel Krieger 

Breathe easy urban trifolaus!  Your friends at Bullfrog & Baum have snuffed out the season’s best white truffle-infused dishes from coast to coast. 

Bid farewell to the air conditioning drips, the creepy jingle of the ice cream man and the prohibitive sauna that is the city’s public transport.  The many hazards of the season are behind us.  Summer is ending people.  Let it sink in.

Now onto greener (well, browner…or is it more brown?) pastures!  Fall is, well, falling and with it comes a hearty crop of autumn apples.  In addition to packing an arsenal of antioxidant compounds and a host of biblical and mythological references, questing after a bushel of the fruit makes an ideal day trip from the urban jungle.  So pack a lunch and pull out the denim as we guide you through the best pick-your-own orchards easily accessible from New York City. 

Wright’s Apple Farm

699 Rt. 208, Gardiner, NY

It’s a bit of a hike (2 hours by train plus taxi) but Wright’s is an excellent respite from the city’s ills.  Take the Metro-North from Grand Central to Poughkeepsie and pick up a taxi at the station.

Wickham’s Fruit Farm

28700 Main Road, Cutchogue, NY 

The Sunrise Coach Bus/Hampton Jitney will drop passengers in central Cutchogue.  The orchard is a half block from the station.  By train, leave from Penn Station and change at Ronkonkoma.  Board the Greenport-bound and exit at Mattituck.  Call for a taxi to the orchard before exiting the train—they are not available at the station. 

Queens County Farm Museum

73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, NY

In addition to boasting the best kebab money can buy, Queens is also home to a fully functional, historic farm!  Dating back to 1697, the Queens County Farm Museum offers agrarian education for even the most urbane city-dwellers.  No picking onsite but stop by on October 1 for their yearly apple festival where the country’s largest apple-cobbler is baked on-premise.  Take the E or F train to Kew Gardens/Union Turnpike Station and transfer to the Q46 bus (eastbound on Union Tpk.) to Little Neck Parkway.

Can’t make it to the orchard?  Get a taste of what you’re missing:

• Roasted Macoun Apples with biscuits, toasted almonds and cinnamon at Butter

• White Gazpacho with smoked almonds, grapes and green apples at Country
                      

Photo Courtesy of New York Apple Association