DETROIT – It's a style of food you probably haven't had before, but it will become your new favorite with their famous magic sauce. Maty's African Cuisine in northwest Detroit is the city's only Senegalese restaurant., and whether you order their savory chicken or their fried fatayas, you're in for some deliciously bold flavors.
"Maty's come about because she cooks very good, and I am a very good cooker too...everybody love our food. All the African people around here, they used to come to the house and eat and I say why can't we open a restaurant?"explains Maty's African Cuisine co-owner, Amady Gueye.
Amady and his wife Maty are serving up food from their home country of Senegal. They serve primarily chicken, lamb and fish dishes that are deep fried and or grilled, served with sides like plantains, rice, couscous, or vermicelli noodles. When you ask him what he recommends, he always says the yassa. Yassa is a stewed onion sauce that he serves alongside fish, chicken and lamb. It's so addictive he calls it his "magic onion sauce," but that's not the only magical thing here. He also has a yellow marinade he dips a lot of the meats in which he also calls his magic sauce.
"I know it's magic because everybody talks about this sauce," says Amady."Some people ust come and say, can I buy some of the sauce?"
While Maty's is the couples first restaurant, Amady has worked in several restaurants since moving to America in 1999. For a while he worked at both Applebee's and Tim Hortons, pulling long hours. Now, he still works long hours, but it is for himself and his family.
"New business, you have to be there to run it right, make sure the customer is happy and make sure people are coming back," says Amady.
Maty's African Cuisine is located at 21611 Grand River Ave., Detroit. For more information, visit their website here.