David Snyder tells the story of Adedotun “Dot” Adepoju and how he came to open Tastee D’s on 4th Street near South. He also writes of the authentic Western African dishes he enjoyed.

My favorite meat, though, was tender, cubed angus beef, a natural partner for its tomato- and pepper-based sauce.

Indeed, the core of these carb-centric mains is this red sauce called obe ata (including tasty jollof rice that’s cooked in this stew to make a sort of African jambalaya). The kitchen boils tomatoes, onions and peppers together before blending them with other spices, including garlic, thyme, cayenne pepper and Maggi, a vegetable-based bullion substitute popular in Nigeria, to create a sauce with a lot of high notes of bright tomato.

D’licious [City Paper]
Tastee D’s [Official Site]

Daily Candy has its prayer to mighty Philly restaurant gods answered with the authentic West African tastes of Tastee D’s from Nigerian native Adedotun (Dot) Adepoju.

Dot got his culinary start in his mother’s kitchen, cooking traditional dishes for his family. Now he’s bringing recipes like jolof rice (cooked in an onion-, tomato-, and pepper-based sauce, and served with fried plantains and meat); moin moin (black-eyed peas in a pepper-based sauce with corned beef); and efo elegusi (cooked spinach with ground melon seed) to his small, bright orange resto.

Tastee Treat [Daily Candy]
Tasty D’s [Official Site]

Craig LaBan discovers a coffee shop where home-spun Ethiopian food is the star. Kaffa Crossing in West Philadelphia is a hit for the 7,000 Ethiopians in the area as well as local adventure eaters like LaBan and company.

But the real double-take came when we asked for our kitfo to be left raw. Essentially, kitfo is Ethiopian steak tartare, a mince of lean raw beef blended with spiced butter. But most local restaurants begin cooking their kitfo, usually without asking, the minute an American places his order – and then it’s little more than a hopped-up sloppy joe.

Tasting the kitfo raw is the ultimate barometer for the level of an Ethiopian kitchen – where the true quality of its meat and the chef’s mastery in spicing are put on naked display. And Kaffa’s kitfo was an adventure eater’s delight. The finely chopped beef, mounded over injera next to some pleasantly bitter steamed collard greens, was so fresh it was almost like an exotic melon. Glossed to a deep ruby hue by clarified butter infused with a musky spice called “mitmita,” a complex and traditional seasoning blend, each bite rang with shades of ginger, cloves, cardamom and a finishing snap of chile spice.

Two Bells – Very Good

Kaffa Crossing [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Kaffa Crossing [Official Site]

Craig LaBan goes way off the grid this week in his review of Memdee’s, a Liberian restaurant in Southwest Philadelphia.

Tucked deep in the residential heart of Elmwood at 68th and Guyer, Memdee’s is the kind of restaurant even the most dedicated food tourist might never find. But I’ll count us among the lucky. After dipping into a powerfully soulful bowl of a starchy orb of fufu and soup, it was clear that this Liberian kitchen produces flavors worth seeking out.

Two Bells – Very Good

Memdee’s [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Foodzings tries Senagalese restaurant Fatou and Fama in University City.

I enjoyed the food quite a lot. It was a good time and quite a bargain. I would have loved it if I could have had more beignets. The service was good enough, nothing to praise and nothing to complain about. It’s definitely a place I would try again. You should too. Just because it’s african food doesn’t mean that it will be like the ethiopian / eritrian places in west philly. It’s not!

Taste of Senegal [Foodzings]
Fatou and Fama [Official Site]