Farafena Coffee Shop

• Cuisine(s): African, Ivory Coast
  Price: $
• Reservations: Not Necessary
  Parking: No Parking

Description

In spite of an awning that rather comically advertises hot and cold sandwiches, two hot dishes are what's usually available. One is sous, a serviceable lamb stew with thick brown gravy that the waitress, who is from Burkina Faso, delivered with a disparaging expression, maybe because its meat-intensive blandness didn't seem particularly African. Then I asked about la firie, a dish advertised on a scrap of paper in the window. She nodded approvingly, lifting the lid to reveal a pot of rice cooked with dried okra, observing, "Now this is really African."