Sparse decor and a small space hardly indicate the extensive selection of exotic dishes for an average $8-$10 per entree at Bolat. In addition to catfish, tilapia, chicken and beef, meat eaters will enjoy choosing between a stewed snail appetizer, goat, cow skin, oxtail and guinea fowl. Half a menu's worth of vegetarian dishes should satisfy herbivores gnawing for a change in diet, too.

Besides fairly standard dishes like beef kabob, chicken pie, curried vegetables and beans with fried plantains, diners tend to favor Jollof rice (rice cooked in tomato sauce) and Bolat's soups and stews. Served with your side of choice (most popular being the pounded yam called fufu, plantain fufu or dried and powdered yam called amala), the Egusi stews, watermelon seeds cooked in tomato sauce or with spinach and spices, top the charts. Make sure to browse the list of beverages: Coconut juice, pina coladas and palm wine, a sweet treat from Nigeria that is definitely worth the $6, cool down a spice-laden meal.

Just because the dinner hour has passed doesn't mean you have to resort to pub grub. Bolat is ready and willing to serve Ghanaian and Nigerian cuisine until midnight most days of the week.

Centerstage Reviewer: Jessica Herman