African Infused Cuisine

Step inside Abistro and its as if you have stumbled into the middle of a lively conversation that has been going on for days, even years. You are welcomed warmly but do not expect to impose your own rhythm on the proceedings. The cuisine, a fusion of West African flavors and French technique, is the vision of Abdoul Gueye, a Senegalese who opened Abistro with his wife, Cassandra, in 2005. Unpretentious pleasures include akara, featherweight cod and black-eyed pea fritters, and coconut plantains, sweet and gooey. —Ligaya Mishan-NYTimes