Dear Neighbor,
If you Follow Me on Friday, you have sampled food from around the world without ever leaving the 49th Ward. Together, we have tasted food from China, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam, just to name a few of the world cuisines.
Allow me this week to expand your culinary horizons yet again. Follow Me on Friday to Badou Senegalese Cuisine, 2055 W. Howard, for some amazing and very authentic food from the West African nation of Senegal. We’ll be gathering this Friday, February 8th, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at this small and unassuming restaurant located in the strip mall on the corner of Howard Street and Seeley Avenue.
Owner Badara “Badou” Diakhate and his wife, Paula will greet us with a sampling of Badou’s iconic Senegalese dishes all prepared by 
himself personally. His storefront restaurant might be unassuming, but Badou’s menu definitely stands out.
Taste his hearty, thick mafe (pictured on the right), a peanut butter-based stew with fat chunks of chicken and yam. Follow that with some piping hot pastels, empanada-like puff pastries stuffed with peppery shredded chicken. And enjoy the newest addition to Badou’s menu, Lenti, a lentil stew simmered in tomato sauce with potatoes and a touch of vinegar. Badou promises some other surprises, as well.
My staff and I will be handing out complimentary beverages–soft drinks, wine and beer–to accompany your tastings.
Badou was born in Dakar, the son of a fisherman. He learned to cook from his beloved mother, who would prepare daily feasts for his extended family and friends with the fish his father would bring home. After he arrived in Chicago, Badou continued the tradition, cooking for his new-found friends and co-workers. At their repeated urging, Badou opened his restaurant late last year.
Badou Senegalese Cuisine has received universal acclaim on all the online guides including Yelp andEveryBlock, where one writer opined that “it was the best meal I’ve ever had in Rogers Park, and the perfect kind of satisfying food for a cold winter night.”
Come see for yourself this Friday night at Badou Senegalese Cuisine.
“Follow Me on Friday” is one of my efforts to encourage my constituents to sample some of the 49th Ward’s finest restaurants, pubs and businesses. Each week on my Facebook page, I post the name and location of a 
local restaurant, pub or business where I’ll be hanging out after work on Friday. The establishment offers specials for all my Facebook followers and their friends. It’s a great opportunity for you to check out one of the fine local 49th Ward businesses you may not have
visited before.
Previous Follow Me on Friday locations includeMullen’s Bar and Grill, 7301 N. Western; Act One Cafe, 1330 W. Morse; Ethiopian Diamond II, 7537 N. Clark; Waterfront Cafe, 6219 N. Sheridan; Good To Go Jamaican Cuisine & Fruit Bar, 1947 W. Howard; the Morseland, 1218 W. Morse; the Caribbean American Bakery, 1539 W. Howard; Chuckie’s, 1412 W. Morse; Gruppo di Amici, 1508 W. Jarvis; the Red Line Tap, 7006 N. Glenwood; Fabi’s, 7124 N. Clark; Chez Violette, 2311 W. Howard; The Glenwood, 6962 N. Glenwood; the Buffalo Bar at the Heartland Cafe, 7000 N. Glenwood; Bruno and Tim’s Lounge, 6562 N. Sheridan; the Mayne Stage, 1328 W. Morse; the Common Cup, 1501 W. Morse; The Fish Keg, 2233 W. Howard; La Cazuela, 6922 N. Clark; Sweet Attila’s and The Growling Rabbit, 6981 N. Sheridan; Jenny’s Gourmet Restaurant, 1642 W. Howard; the Grill Inn, 1422 W. Morse; El Famous Burrito, 7047 N. Clark; the New 400 Theaters, 6746 N. Sheridan; the Sidecar Bar, 6920 N. Glenwood; Rogers Park Fine Wine and Spirits, 6733 N. Clark; the Poitin Stil, 1502 W. Jarvis; Northside Community Resources, 1530 W. Morse; Felice’s Roman Style Pizza, 6441 N. Sheridan; The Coffee Shop, 1135 W. Sheridan; the Lighthouse Tavern, 1236 W. Chase; the Aqua Bar and Restaurant, 1146 W. Pratt; Pillars Social Cafe, 6800 N. Sheridan; Heartland on the Lake, 1200 W. Greenleaf; Royal Coffee Chicago, 6764 N. Sheridan; the Clark Street Market, 7007 N. Clark; Cafe Descartes, 6451 N. Sheridan; theGreenleaf Arts Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf; MorseL, 1406 W. Morse; the Mezz Gallery at the Mayne Stage, 1328 W. Morse; and Taste Wine and Food, 1506 W. Jarvis.
Join me this Friday, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., as we welcome Badou Senegalese Cuisine to the neighborhood!
Sincerely,
Joe Moore
http://www.facebook.com/joemoore49
http://www.twitter.com/joemoore49