Dakar NOLA

A couple of weeks ago, I escaped the snow here in Huntsville and headed to New Orleans to enjoy the weekend with a dear friend. We had the privilege of securing reservations at Dakar NOLA. During my trip to Louisiana for a week in November, I could not get a reservation. I booked a couple of weeks in advance in January and secured a spot for two. Dakar NOLA is a Senegalese restaurant, boasting a seven-course tasting menu. The restaurant is located in a beautiful New Orleans style home on Magazine Street.

It was a bitter cold night when we arrived at the restaurant. We arrived early and spoke to the warm staff who made us feel right at home. When you make reservations at Dakar NOLA, you can choose private dining or communal dining, which is done in homage to West African dining traditions. Chef Serigne Mbaye’s concept is brilliant. He won Best New Restaurant at the 2024 James Beard Foundation Awards. Eater New Orleans named Chef Mbaye 2021 Chef of the Year. In 2022, he was a James Beard Award finalist for Emerging Chef. In 2023, he was again nominated in the Emerging Chef Category and was named one of Eater’s 2023 Best New Restaurants in America. Chef Mbaye was also previously a chef at Commander’s Palace.

Private dining at a table for two or four can be enjoyed by guests during your visit. However, we chose communal dining and were seated at a table with a family of four. Three of the four were lawyers, so we had a lot to talk about. One lawyer started breeding horses and left the legal profession behind. Ironicallly, she breeds horses in my husband’s hometown. We talked about one of her friends who worked for Tulane, and I shared that my mother-in-law also worked for the identical center at Tulane. And by the way, the guest who was not an attorney was from Mississippi, my home state. It’s a small world! We all had a great time mingling with each other. In a world of division, it was such a beautiful experience to sit and talk with strangers as if you were old friends.

Before we began our meal, the servers came around with a basin and pitcher to wash our hands. It was really cold outside when we arrived at the restaurant, so I was excited to try their welcome tea, which was a Senegalese-style Ataya green tea with ginger and mint. We were also given a small spoon to enjoy the froth from the tea after we finished our drinks. It was a great tea to start our meal.

Next, we enjoyed Cassava (Yuca, smothered onions, gulf crab, herb aioli, and smoked trout roe). This was one of my favorite dishes. If I had to pick my favorite dish, this would be one of my top two dishes.

We ate a light citrus salad with West African millet, cabbage, navel orange, grapefruit, and honey vinaigrette. This salad was so delicious. I had never tried a honey vinaigrette before, but this was a beautiful surprise. I absolutely loved this salad.

The blackeyed pea soup, gulf shrimp, and Louisiana rice is one of my favorite dishes. Shrimp and rice are “the regular” in Louisiana, but not at Dakar NOLA. The spices in this dish blew me away, and the Louisiana rice is puffed then flash fried to give it a nice crunch. The dish was spicy, savory, crunchy, and oh so delicious.

The palm oil bread was soft, warm, sweet and salty. Each roll was sprinkled with rock sugar and salt. We were told to clean our black eyed pea soup plates with the rolls, and I can tell you that rolling the bread around in that spicy soup took me to heaven. This soup was the highlight for me. The rolls were accompanied by a spiced butter made in house.

The butter consists of Dakar’s special spices, paprika and honey. The sweet rolls and the spiced butter paired beautifully!

Dakar NOLA believes that whether in New Orleans or Dakar, you cook the pot of rice before you decide what else you will have for dinner. This is so true! Almost every meal in Louisiana consists of rice. What’s so special about rice? Well, when Dakar NOLA serves rice, it is not just any rice. I could have eaten this entire pot myself.

We also ate fish with farmer’s market vegetables and tamarind jus. I ate the entire thing, and I didn’t know I still had enough room to devour this dish. “Flavor in every bite,” is an understatement. I love fish, and this dish did not disappoint. I think it is also worth noting that Dakar NOLA sources all of its fruits and vegetables from local farmers in the community. I love the fact that they put money back into the local community and suport local farmers in the area. That is so important for the local economy and business owners.

The candied apple dessert was delectable! I wanted to ask for more. The flavors in the dollop on this plate cannot be put into words. The cream is a whipped toffee, poached holiday spice, hibiscus tuile, house made apple sorbet, and citrus gel. My God! Who invented this? If Dakar NOLA packages this, I will be first in line to purchase it.

Each plate was flavorful and beautiful. The chef pays attention to detail and is a true creative. This meal was worth the wait, and I will be back for more soon. The menu changes often, so the next time I visit, I can enjoy different dishes from Senegal. Wine lovers may also add a wine pairing onto your ticket. If you want to visit the site, please click here. If you want to experience Dakar NOLA, it is best to book your reservation 3-4 weeks in advance to secure a place at the table. Dakar NOLA is truly “an experience to nurture the soul.” If you are ever in New Orleans, check out Dakar NOLA.

Shayla Jay

Shayla Jay

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