Restaurant of the Week: Merkato 55

Thanks to Marcus Samuelsson and Aquavit, New Yorkers now know there's more to Swedish cuisine than shoveling down meatballs between perusing sofas and bookshelves at IKEA. This time around, the good-looking Ethiopian-born, Swedish-reared chef returns to his African roots with Merkato 55. The soaring, bi-level space, that is decidedly Meatpacking District, shuns clichéd safari themes in favor of whimsical hanging basket lamps and burlap. One way to spend a content evening is downstairs at the bar, sipping a spicy Agbekor ($14), made with Grey Goose L'citron, Drambuie, chili and saffron. A meal can easily be made from sampling the "small bites" kidogo menu. A pot of African breads ($6) stars the meali (coffeecake meets cornbread). But the plantain chips ($5) work best at scooping up spicy baba ghanoush ($4) and zesty pickled peppers ($7). Shrimp chili sambal ($4) was so fiery, not even the refreshing coriander chutney ($4) could rescue our burning mouths. Upstairs, in the less lively but equally dramatic dining room, you may want to enjoy executive chef Andrea Bergquist’s (hey, Marcus can’t be everywhere) bolder Pan-African dishes, like tomato-laced lamb kefta meatballs ($19) topped with a fried egg. Delicate little chickpea dumplings ($19), mixed with chilies, spiced margarine and Swiss chard, are an exotic Ethiopian version of gnocchi. Among pastry chef Sunshine Flagg’s complementary desserts, the best of the bunch is the lassi ($4), luscious and nutty, with pistachios and pink peppercorns. Merkato 55, 55 Gansevoort St., (212) 255-8555