After drizzling on some sriracha, I tried to make sure each bite combined the sweet bits of the crustacean with the richness of the eggs. At a recent brunch, however, Pinto Garden offered a version I couldn’t pass up on: crab kai jaew ($26), a crispy and golden Thai-style omelet that’s the size of a plate dotted with lumps of crab and a hidden mound of fluffy jasmine rice underneath it. My eyes glaze over any menu’s mention of an omelet (it’s too easy to make at home, I figure).
Bao Ong/Eater NY Crab kai jaew at Pinto Garden 2542B White Plains Road, between Allerton and Mace avenues, Allerton - Robert Sietsema, senior criticĬrab kai jaew at Pinto Garden. It was memorable as well, and showed the fundamental connection between African-American and African food. I also ordered collard greens flavored with smoked turkey wing. The cost of soup and mash together was $20. Egusi soup made with crushed melon seeds was also available. The okra soup was particularly dense and viscous this past weekend, studded with salt cod and cow foot, the latter pleasantly chewy. Every day there are two or three dense Nigerian sauces, known as “soups,” to go with the humongous loaves of white yam fufu.
Another admirable aspect is that most dishes come in huge portions, easily enough for a pair of people. It features not only Nigerian food, but also soul food and Caribbean cooking, as well. The number of West African restaurants in the vicinity of White Plains Road along the 2 and 5 lines has multiplied lately, and Tessey’s International Kitchen is one of the newer ones. Fufu and okra soup from Tessey’s International Kitchen Robert Sietsema/Eater NY Fufu and okra soup from Tessey’s International Kitchen