Features

African paradise comes to Silver Spring

Izora Restaurant and Nite Club

BY PATRICIA B. GROSSMAN
PHOTOS BY JAMES NOEL

You've got to see Izora Restaurant and Nite Club to believe it. My dining companion and I had the grand tour of this exotic establishment by our most gracious waiter.

You enter a large waiting room, adorned with paintings for sale, and are greeted by a friendly maitre d'. Beyond the waiting room is a spacious dance floor with dining areas flanking both sides, and world-music videos flash on a large-screen TV. There is a tiki bar complete with palm trees off to the right, and another dining area which doubles as a jazz stage three nights a week.

A martini and cognac bar caters to the sophisticated, and upstairs, singles mingle in the plush, upscale VIP lounge complete with its own bar. Beyond the lounge is an area accommodating private parties both indoor and out. Reggae music was pulsing the night we dined at Izora, tempting us to stay for dancing.

No pepper is provided at the tables–enough is added in the preparation of many of the meals, our waiter said, but it is served on request. Beautiful flowers decorate tables instead, and serving dishes are chic and modern, as my companion kept commenting.

Izora serves West African and Caribbean dishes. Since my companion and I were least familiar with West African dishes, we opted for those. Of special interest were the three different kinds of chicken wings offered as appetizers: hot and spicy; Caribbean jerk; and the ones we ordered, Izora's own special Jack Daniel's wings with a sauce of whiskey, honey, and hickory–good, but nothing to write home about. Next we ordered a salad, which is basically iceberg lettuce and tomatoes. The mango vinaigrette is tasty, though.

I ordered a classic West African dish: jollof rice. The rice itself is tasteless, but making up for that is the goat meat in its mild marinara sauce and the accompaniments of rice and moin moin, a starch made from ground red beans, similar to refried beans. If you don't order it vegetarian, moin moin also comes with bits of savory meat and baby shrimp.

My companion ordered a real winner: the chicken and shrimp with coconut rice. The shrimp are huge and the chicken is grilled to perfection and wonderfully seasoned. The coconut rum sauce over the rice is smooth and creamy with just a hint of coconut–simply delicious.

The most distinctive items on the menu are the West African soups. Izora offers a vast selection, all fish based with vegetables. Oxtail, goat, chicken, or beef can be added for an additional cost. Vegetables, breads, and rice and beans are served with the soups, making for a real feast.

Entrees run between $10.95 and $12.95. For parties of five or more, Izora offers West African Family Style dinners at $30.00 per person. Included are traditional dishes: Izora salad, chicken stew, goat pepper soup (which I had ordered myself and which was earthy, spicy and delicious with tender and plentiful goat meat pieces), corn, white rice, jollof rice, okra soup, egusi soup (made from ground melon seeds), moin moin, plantains, fried croaker fish, and a dessert platter.

It's two-for-one on all drinks during happy hour, Monday through Friday from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. And music abounds: Sunday brunch features live jazz; Sunday night is reggae; on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday nights you can hear some great jazz; and on weekends, dance until 3:00 a.m. to the hottest reggae, calypso and R&B, spun by DJ Yveco. There is a $10.00 cover charge after 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

While there is minimal parking by the restaurant, for $3.00 there is ample parking in a lot one-half block down East-West Highway. Izora's entrance is located down a maze of stairways, interesting in architecture. If you don't know where to look, you might pass it–and you wouldn't want to miss this happening spot.

Izora is located at 1115 East-West Highway, Silver Spring. 301-495-2960. Dinner hours are Monday through Thursday, 4:00 to 10:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m., with appetizers served until 3:00a.m. Sunday brunch is served from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.