Last night, Caro, Jorg, Erik, Jose and I had dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant in the South End, Addis Red Sea. I had never tried Ethiopian food before, so I didn't know what to expect. Walking down the stairs into the restaurant felt like entering a different realm, like we had suddenly stumbled into Genie's bottle. The dimly lit room was filled with African art and furniture. We sat down at our small wicker table, called a mesob. The menu was complimentary, announcing that people who dine at Addis are "intellectually, sexually, and gastronomically adventurous." (Okay, it didn't say sexually.) Ethiopian dishes are served on a large platter of spongy bread, and diners use smaller pieces of bread, approximately the size and texture of washcloths, to scoop up bites of food. It's a communal dining experience, so if you're one of those people who get freaked out by food sharing, I wouldn't recommend it. Ditto for germphobes, because you eat with your hands. I sampled a lamb dish, two beef dishes, and a vegetarian lentil entree. All were tasty. The food reminded me Indian food, but much milder. I also tried an Ethiopian beer, Harar, which I liked. Still haven't met a beer I didn't like....
Overall, the food wasn't that exceptional, but it was a fun and unique experience and reasonably priced. I'll definitely go back.
5 comments:
If it isn't too far out of your way, I highly recommend Fasika (J. and I still use it as a yardstick, to which everything else has fallen short).
About the link--I would have sworn that it was in Boston...where the heck is Ogunquit?
Weird, Ogunquit is in Maine. But there is a Fasika listed in Jamaica Plain, Boston. I'll have to check it out. And bring a vegetarian- they had lots of yummy-looking vegetarian options at Addis.
That's the one. Awesome food, authentic atmosphere (guys watching soccer), and dirt cheap. My kinda dining out experience.
I have a story from my first visit to an Ethiopian restaurant. After our food came I asked the waiter how to eat it. He proceeded to rip off a piece of the bread on our table (wet washcloth is how I have described it to other people, too). I thought to myself "Oh, my God, he is touching our food." Then he scoops up a bit of one of our food items, folds the bread over and scoops up a bit of another item. I thought to myself, "Oh, my God, he is going to eat our food!" Then he hands me the bread for me to eat it and I think to myself, "Oh, my God, I'm going to have to eat this.....is that dirt under his fingernails? God I hope it is just the pigment of his dark skin. I can't offend this person, I have to do the right thing and eat it, that's what God would want me to do, love one another." I take the bread and take a bite of it as I say to myself, "God it is in your hands, don't let me get sick! I'm being a good person here." I'll never forget that moment!
Mrs. V- that is hilarious.
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