Teranga, Boston
by Katya Simkhovich
Fellow Chopped viewers, this restaurant may sound familiar to you.
Owner Marie-Claude Mendy was a winner on chopped and for obvious reasons. Before leaving Boston after visiting a best friend of mine we decided to go out for dinner, and south end being a pleasant mere half hour stroll away, we sauntered off along Mass Ave until…
In all our eagerness, we arrived before Teranga even opened for dinner at 5 pm. Did I mention we’re an eager group of diners?
We began our Senegalese dinner with some black pea fritters.
The fritters tasted… homey. And with the sauce, like a spicy home. Like a welcoming, spicy home. Does that even make sense?
A glass of sorrel juice added a sweetly decadent touch to the otherwise surprisingly healthy fare.
Granted we order from the vegetarian menu but everything ended up being marvelously balanced, not the slightest bit heavy (think the complete opposite of vegetarian indian doused in cream food). Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised that a restaurant could serve such healthy but delicious food.
Of course one glass of juice is not enough, so I followed up the main course with a refreshing, sinus-clearing, zingy ginger juice. This juice is meant for true ginger lovers, which I pride myself in being.
And of course a meal out must end with dessert because it doesn’t count if you don’t try the desserts.
There was a soupy, grain and tropical fruit pudding that tasted like nothing I’ve ever had before. It was… intriguing. I think it’s a Senegalese thing.
There was a mango tarte that was reminiscent of apple tarte tatin.
And then there where these millet “donuts”. Somehow these also managed to taste healthy (probably on account of the millet) – and that was totally find with me considering I have to find some sort of excuse for eating three different desserts.
Such a difficult life I lead.
All in all, Teranga ended up being a fabulous dining experience, and is a nice cultural alternative to all the other cuisines in Boston.
