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In Harlem, Senegalese restaurants mainly stick to the few blocks on East 116th known as Little Senegal. Yet a short walk uptown brings you to La Marmite, a small, crowded restaurant named for the French pot pictured on its menu—and perhaps Manhattan's best purveyor of this often overlooked cuisine. You wouldn't know it, however, if you go for dinner. As is the case in most Senegalese restaurants in the city, the dishes available at dinner tend toward grilled meats that seem to have been grilled too long. The staple dibi, or lamb chop, is practically incinerated here, though its accompanying onion sauce is undeniably delicious. The lunch menu is where the fun is. It's where you find Senegal's national dish, thiebou djeun, a huge portion of moist, garlicky fish, sweet root vegetables, and rice infused with the beguiling flavor of palm oil; and mafe, a rich lamb stew with peanut sauce that hints at the complex taste of a good Thai curry. Senegalese customers also opt for soupe kandia, slimy lamb stew made with okra. It's off-putting to the uninitiated, but it sure does beat burnt lamb. — JJ Goode

Thiebou djeun, $9; mafe, $9; soupe kandia, $9; sauce feuille, $9