The restaurant’s owner, Lookman Mashood, told Yarbrough that Buka’s menu is comprised of the best dishes from three regions in Nigeria. “The food you eat here is the same food you’re going to eat in Logos, Nigeria,” he said.

Mashood, who grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, the country’s most populous city of nearly 8 million people, came to the United States in 1986.

Buka offers Nigeria’s most popular dishes, including spicy, tomato-based stews with goat, beef, chicken, tilapia, red snapper, panla (dried Norwegian stock fish), and Igbin (large West African land snails). Plates include Asaro, Suya steak, grilled Tiger Shrimp, grilled Red Snapper, grilled Tilapia, Oha soup, bitter leaf soup, yam and eggs, Buka sauce and Tuwo.

Buka, which includes dozens of Gluten-free, vegetarian dishes on its menu, offers Fufu made from fresh white yam, fermented ground cassava or dried yam flour. Sauces include Efo, Okra, Egusi, Palava, Ogbono and Gbegiri.

The warm and cozy restaurant features a full bar with seven stools, a dinning room with 55 seats, stylish brick walls decorated with eye-catching oil paintings, and tall book shelves packed with books concerning African culture.

Zoewee’s menu, which consists of Liberia’s most popular dishes, includes Bitter Leaf, Collard Greens, Torgborgee, Cassava Leaf, Palaver Sauce, Fried Okra, and Okra Sauce. Other well-liked dishes served include Fufu, Pepper Soup, Rice & Beans, Fried Plantain, Corn Beef Rice, Fried Fish (Croaker), and Jolluf Rice with Smoked Turkey/Chicken.

I enjoyed yummy Potato Greens/Leaf with Red Oil and Smoked Chicken served with Rice, along with a tall glass of cold Ginger Beer. Zoewee’s original hot sauce, made of the world’s hottest chili pepper, Ghost Pepper aka Naga Jolokia, was invigorating.

Established five years ago, Zoewee’s, tucked within the Tryon Plaza strip mall, serves Liberian cuisine Mondays through Saturdays, 12:00 noon to 10:00pm. The restaurant offers an $8.00 early bird special on Mondays and Tuesdays, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, and serves wine and imported and domestic beers. The restaurant seats up to 68 people and offers take-out services.

Co-owner and manager, Ernest Harmon, told me Zoewee’s derived its name from his original restaurant in Liberia that was named after its manager, Zoe. The restaurant was obliterated during Liberia’s 11-year civil war that ended in 2002.

Once seated, our courteous and attentive waiter, Nick, methodically explained Tangierino’s menu, which includes six old world Moroccan dishes, six new world dishes, a chophouse selection of mouthwatering lamb and chops dishes, tasty prime aged beef dishes, a dozen appetizers, soups and salads, and more. We enjoyed a delicious side dish of Couscous Royal – braised lamb shank, spiced merquez over seven vegetables; along with two appetizers: Calamari Tagra – crispy calamari, parmesan cheese, harissa aloli and Moroccan marinated olives; and the Moroccan Fisherman Stew – shrimp, squid, white fish, and harissa-olives in a light tomato cilantro broth, along with sparkling water and yummy Moroccan mint tea.

The restaurant’s owner and executive chef, Samad Naamad, described Tangierino as more than just a restaurant. “It’s an experience,” he said, citing the restaurant’s beautiful atmosphere and its cultural diversity among staff and customers. Naamad described the many obstacles he encountered when he first launched the restaurant more than 10 years ago. Conquering those obstacles, he said, bestowed upon him the perseverance and self-confidence he needed to pursue his life-long passion of acting and producing movies. His first independent film, “Welcome to Hollywood,” was produced in 2005, and his second film and directorial debut, “Demon Shadow,” was produced in 2010.

Naamad, who is originally from Casablanca and Tangiers, Morocco, said he is preparing to open a second restaurant in Rhode Island, and eventually to pursue his movie production career full-time. “Pursue what you believe in,” he said.

A belly dancer named Anastasia presented us with a pleasurable dance as we dined on the delectable, authentic, Moroccan cuisine. (Belly dancers perform twice nightly every night of the week and are available for private shows, events, and dancing lessons).

Following dinner, our waiter provided us with an extensive tour of the award-winning restaurant, which includes a hookah salon, a walk-in cigar humidor with 50-plus top brand cigars, and an air filtering system that creates a nearly smokeless environment. The restaurant also features several flat screen televisions, exquisite imported Moroccan furniture, and an attractive mahogany bar furnished with wine, specialty bottled and draft beers, and an extensive assortment of liquor.

Tangierino, which is located just blocks away from the historic Bunker Hill monument and the U.S.S. Constitution, has received top awards from Zagot, Boston Globe, City Search, Where Magazine, Phantom Gourmet, Boston Magazine, AOL City Guide, and Improper Bostonian.