Restaurant Review: Merkato 55

When it comes to African cuisine, I am quite the amateur . I have never been to an African restaurant and I have only visited Morocco, which is hardly representative of the entire continent's cuisine. I think my only experience with African food was the time my college roommate made us some kind of African bread product, a recipe she had brought home after spending a summer in Kenya. I don't have particularly fond memories of this item, and my opposition could be attributed to any number of sources; one being that after getting bored with the mini-breads on their own, my roommates and I decided to add various toppings, like peanut butter and jelly, etc. This particular occasion qualified as one of those times when what you are eating is not necessarily tasty, yet you continue searching for a topping that will "make all the difference" for an otherwise unappetizing item nonetheless: in this case, a bland little carb nugget. The magical addition, inevitably, never arrives. Because my roommate decided to make this treat in bulk, our feeding spree continued until I felt I wanted to throw up; at which point, it was time to leave to go play a soccer game. Secondly, it is also important to note that my college dorm that particular year was infested with large roaches, and I have a distinct memory of opening the box of cornmeal used to make these African delights and finding quite a few little creatures, both dead and alive, hanging around in the package.

So, although my experience with African food has certainly been memorable, it has not exactly been pleasurable. Needless to say, I was pretty excited when Merkato 55 opened in the Meatpacking District; this was my chance to venture into an unfamiliar cuisine. New York is a city lacking many African restaurant options, and Merkato 55 approaches the continent's cuisine with the intention of elevating African food and making it accessible at the same time.

The bi-level space is a interesting combination of traditional elements: breezy, cloth curtain panels screened with portraits along the windows, clay pots and sculptures displayed in cubby holes on another wall; and the more contemporary: a sleek brown leather wrap-around booth, a giant photograph of vibrant red fish adorning one wall.

The menu echoes this sentiment, ranging from the traditional Spicy Chicken Doro Wat to the currently obligatory pork belly dish. There were only two of us dining, so what we were able to sample was a bit limited; but we tried to take the server's suggestions into consideration in order to seek out the best of what Merkato 55 had to offer.

We started with the spicy shrimp chili sambal, a flavorful spread served with pita triangles and another bread comparable to a thin-crust pizza dough. The sambal was spicy and smoky and a nice prelude to the sweeter, honey-glazed duck served with banana and plantain salad that followed. The crispy coating of the duck gave way to tender meat, best consumed in the same bite with the plantain salad.

Next came the main dishes, which were most definitely the main attraction. The spicy chicken doro wat came served in a cast-iron pot: two tender, meaty chicken legs, covered in a thick, brown stew that melded with cottage cheese at the bottom of the dish, and came accompanied with injera, a sponge-like flat bread that reminded me of a thin pancake rolled into a tube. The other large plate we tried was the chickpea dumplings, a hearty dish consisting of the gnocchi-like dumplings, diced potatoes, edamame, and a leafy green vegetable that was especially delicious because of its capacity for soaking up the flavor of the curry-infused sauce.

From the dessert menu we chose the chocolate samosas, miniature chocolate-filled empanadas, accompanied by a berry jam and vanilla ice cream, and the malva pudding, not a pudding at all, but rather an apricot-flavored cake with rum raisin ice cream. Both were tasty and notable for their uniqueness, but not necessarily the most delicious or inventive dessert I've tried.

Merkato 55 is an ambitious endeavor in it's attempts to introduce pan-African cuisine to New York. Overall, I think the restaurant does a fine job of interpreting African dishes for the contemporary New Yorker, while at the same time preserving it's authenticity. And I definitely know where I'm taking my old roommate when she comes into town, interested in a trip back to Africa that's only a few subway stops away.