Feb. 19 (Bloomberg) -- At the new pan-African restaurant in Manhattan's fashionable meatpacking district, there's no safari smorgasbord nor anything from inside the pages of National Geographic. Sorry to disappoint.

Welcome to Merkato 55. This is where chef Marcus Samuelsson wants to alter your view of the continent. He'll probably do just that with pretty patrons, high-end fare and house-infused rums.

Here's what you'll get: foie gras chutney, raw fish and steak Dakar. The fare has been internationalized. Taking a cue from ``The Lion King,'' it's a no-worries ``hakuna matata'' approach to African.

Call it want you want. The grub is good.

Remember, Samuelsson is the guy behind Aquavit across town. That's where he served oysters with mango-curry sorbet and called it Scandinavian.

Maybe that explains Merkato's sashimi. Slices of yellowtail (cool, tender) sit amid a pool of green curry (spicy). Citrus jam (sweet, bitter) and Egyptian-style pine tree sap (weird, pretty) anoint the whole affair. Skip the foie. It's barely discernable among a mash of dates and figs. Give us more liver.

The clever decor evokes Kenya by way of Pier 1 Imports. Little cubes hold war masks and ceramics. Tree stalks separate the dining room from the bar. A communal table sports tiny lamps clustered in the shape of a Joshua tree. Bend the branches down for better light.

Beef and Octopus

Thumping music is more Euro-centric than Southern- Hemispheric. Probably a good idea. Could Merkato attract enough high heels and designer suits if it played indigenous tunes or hawked only traditional dishes like doro wat -- an Ethiopian chicken stew?

Maybe it could.

The wat is spiced with berbere and ginger. Poke the bird with your fork, then watch the tender flesh drop into a dark, rich soup. Lime gives it all a pleasant, sour tang. Mop up the remains with spongy injera bread. Want more of that same tart kick? Try the lamb tartar -- slightly more modern.

Mozambique's in the house. Piri piri chili rub coats whole shrimp. I'm not sure what country serves salty cured beef with spicy, meaty octopus, but I'd sure like to visit.

Deer Kebabs

Things get more complicated. Pork belly is given the jerk treatment. The early result isn't spicy enough. Try smoked collard greens. A South African corn porridge (sweet) sits below crimson Moroccan merguez (spicy). There you have it. Sausage and grits. Delicious.

Is Indian food popular in Africa? One of the desserts is a pistachio lassi -- sour yogurt with a faint taste of nuts. Skip the overwrought cocktails and ask the bartender to spike the lassi with rum.

Venison gets the South African kebab treatment. Apricot- rubbed cubes of deer are tender and faintly sweet. Bacon and more apricot make it a trio.

Dinner for two cost $194. Dinner for one cost $113.

Merkato 55 is at 55 Gansevoort St., near Greenwich Avenue. Information: +1-212-255-8555; http://merkato55.com.

Fried Chicken

Madaleine Mae makes me hungry. It's a little soul-food joint on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Its chef is Jonathan Waxman (Barbuto). It serves a big menu so here's what to order:

Rum: The dark spirits are house infused. Get a 2-ounce glass of ``sante.'' Bay leaf, ginger root, cloves and tamarind perfume the sweet potable. A gentle burn warms your throat and stomach.

Biscuits and gravy: Crunchy, yeasty saucers sop up spicy gravy and salty Carolina ham. The perfect hangover breakfast.

Fried chicken: It's buttermilk-marinated, flour-and- cornmeal-coated and cast-iron fried. A dense, mahogany crust hides juicy meat underneath.

Full? You better be. Wouldn't want to offend dear Madaleine.

Dinner for one cost $51.

Madaleine Mae is at 461 Columbus Ave. at 82nd Street. Information: +1-212-496-3000; http://www.madaleinemae.com.

(Ryan Sutton is a writer for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this story: Ryan Sutton in New York at rsutton1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 19, 2008 00:03 EST