Baobab Oasis

Stepping through the glass door entrance you are at once enveloped into the embrace of the Baobab’s warm greeting, perhaps by Marco himself or his young and always smiling nephew, Sogui.

There is an immediate, non-intrusive-bonding as clinks of dinner ware and glasses punctuate lively dinner table conversations riding on waves of laughter and just right island music.  Before you know it, you remember Pavlov’s experiments as the exotic West African blends of stewed tomato Tchou, spicy peanut sauced Mafe, and creamy tart Yassa aromas waft and tease your nose and wet your appetite.

Depending when you arrived—the later, the longer but well worth it the wait—a divergence to the bar immediately on the right brings you to a list of never before heard of exotic unique creations rooted in Marco’s juicy imagination.  There, Michel the smiling bartender serves up fine beverages—see photo at Baobab PR Home—or if it’s really busy, which is often, then Marco and Boris join in to help magically mix and serve up exotic drinks with busy and smooth smiles. You may become intoxicated by the Flamboyant’s hibiscus, lime and vodka, or pleasantly inebriated with a flower, le Fleur, a hybrid of ginger, tamarind and whiskey!  There are heady West African beers and fine Baobab wine…prepping the soul for fine dining ahead.

Your party is called and perhaps gentil Laure or sensuous Andrea escort you to your table where you examine the menu and are presented the evening specials.

You settle in at the table, your eyes now adjusted to the lowly lit wall lamps, you lift your head from the menu and take in original Sénégalese art under the umbrella straw ceiling: brightly colored pastels of rich rural West African scenes and women cooking in huge cast iron pots on open fires as children scurry on a sandy Atlantic beach under a breezy warm blue sky.  Breathing it all in, you envision kitchen aromas riding in on tropically pulsing waves of warm Sénégalese sea breezes.

These huge beautiful art pieces from Marco’s maman Alice—see Abdou & Aminata—decorate the upper faux marble earthen walls riding above indigo stained mid-wall panels bordering the long, lightly maple-varnished table-tops.  You lift your eyes up to the waitress’ warm smile and friendly ‘Your order mademoiselle?’ You sip your Flamboyant and clinks of dinner ware on waves of laughing conversation come back to you and you make your selection in the warm embrace of the Baobab.