Sitting at the counter, I could feel the warmth of the sun pouring through the glass doors. The bartender and I laughed as we realized we were both singing along to Mariah Carey’s “Emotions” under our breath. This was as relaxed as lunch in Houston gets—like eating in a friend’s kitchen, if your friend made incredible spicy strawberry cocktails and curried-beef-stuffed miniature hand pies.I was at ChòpnBlọk, a new spot along Montrose’s restaurant row that represents a familiar story of immigration enriching a city’s food scene. Since the eighties, West African communities have boomed in the Houston area; Harris County has the largest Nigerian population in the U.S., according to the 2020 Census. And where there are homesick diners, immigrants will open restaurants that serve…