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Modest Salimata Restaurant offers a homespun taste of Guinea, a former French colony in West Africa. Most patrons, like the taxi and livery drivers who throng here during suppertime, are Guinean immigrants who miss the tastes and textures of home. The somewhat dowdy décor runs to blue/gray walls, matching tiled floors, blond wood paneling, a poster of African royalty, and a sparkly procession of diamond-shaped mirrors on the wall. The cooking is mostly soups and stews, spooned over plates of well-oiled rice, or more substantial meats and fish that are grilled, roasted or fried and accompanied by starches like fried sweet plantains, couscous or acheke, a fluffy steamed mound of granulated cassava root. Lamb debee entices with thinly sliced, grilled chops that are tender and medium-cooked within and commendably charred without. The richness of the meat is offset by a tangy mustard glaze. Fish fanciers opt for the poisson frit, a lightly-fried whole tilapia with moist, white flesh. Salimata Restaurant is the genuine Guinean article, and satisfies the curious diners’ appetite and taste for world travel. — Michael Anstendig

In accordance with Islamic law, no pork is served here, nor alcohol. BYO is not permitted either.