Ethnic New York
A Dining Adventure
Okay kids we're off for a real adventure this time around….
Next on our list is ETHIOPIAN. A few of us in the group have tasted this fine cuisine, but for many it will be an all new world to your palette. You can look forward to many lamb and chicken options using a variety of spices, all of which will be scooped up with the fabulous injera (spongey sourdough bread) which is provided in lieu of utensils. Bring the hand sanitizer and moisture wipes!
For those that want to research a little on what to expect for dinner, check out for info on sauces and spices:
A lot of cumin, tumeric, red pepper and coriander are combined with garlic and onion in many dishes. A lot of sauces (like Bebere, Kibe and Awaze) will feature more than 20 spices, so needless to say there will be a lot of flavor. Most things aren't too spicy in terms of hot, but it'll be best to clarify when we order. The Alecha sauce, used for stew and is the mildest of the bunch, while Berbere is used in all hot dishes and give the deep red color we'll see because it's make from ground red pepper. The bread does a lot to downplay spiciness.
I was thinking we could go the week after President's day, so how does February 20th or 21st work for everyone?
As for locations, I have narrowed it down to the following:
Ghenet
284 Mulberry (between Prince and Houston)
Entrées mostly come in the $15 to $20 range. It's the nicest of the three in terms of ambiance and it's centrally located. I've also read mostly rave reviews and they offer Ethiopian honey wine.
Meskerem
124 MasDougal (between West 3rd and Minetta Ln)
Entrees are in the $10 to $12 range, so it's the cheapest option of the 3. The selling point here is that it is BYOB (as far as I'm aware), so we could all bring our beverage of choice, but then again missing out on some Ethiopian beer choices might be a downer. Seems to get good, but not great, reviews.
Queen of Sheeba
650 10th Avenue (between 45th and 46th)
Entrées all come in under $15 and are mostly $12 or $13. This place gets the best reviews in the city, but it's off the beaten track. They do offer Ethiopian combination platters, which could be great option for us as they give a taste of many different dishes. They also offer the honey wine ($22/bottle) and Ethiopian beer for $4/bottle.
Food offerings at all three are pretty similar across the board in terms of appetizers and entrées, so let me know which sounds best in terms of price, location, sc
One last note - in doing research for this one, I heard a lot mentioned about slow service at all these places, and other options too. So let's hope our seats are comfortable.
Let me know what you all think in terms of dates and location, and of course whether you will be there so I can make a reservation. In the meantime, gear up your taste buds.
Tania
PS - As always, speak up if you have have any bright ideas for the next round.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Ethnic Dining Adventure - Round VI
