Exotic Ethiopian

There are four different Ethiopian restaurants within 3 miles of where I live - no exaggeration. Three of them are at the same intersection, too. And yet, I have been to an Ethiopian restaurant only once in the last 11 years in Atlanta. That was a long time ago, when I was a really picky eater. Not surprise that that I didn't like it then... But now, I love trying new things, so I decided to give Ethiopian one more chance, with Snooki as my partner in crime.

When it came to deciding where to go, our thought process went exactly like this: (1) Which places have Scoutmob? (2) Which of the two options has the better reviews on Yelp? The result was Meskerem, and that's where we went. I wish looking at the menu had been part of the thought process, though. Snooki and I were hoping to see some kind of sampler platter, but there weren't any :( The closest thing we saw was a mixed lamb/chicken dish with two vegetable sides - we chose the lentils and split peas. We also got the beef spare ribs because I (goren tibs) because I thought it might be like Korean-style spare ribs. And they both came with the traditional Ethiopian sponge bread.

My first impression of the goren tibs was really got. It was brought to the table in an iron skillet and sizzling, similar to fajita filling. But unlike fajitas, the beef then was poured over the sponge bread. I guess that was good. I didn't even get a chance to burn myself on the hot skillet ;) However, once I tried the beef, I was rather disappointed. It didn't have any of the flavor of Korean beef. It didn't have any Ethiopian spices either. Instead, the only seasoning it had appeared to be salt! The char on the beef was really nice, but that's the only good thing I can say about the beef.

Snooki, with her mixed meat platter, had many more options of what to eat. Both the lamb and chicken were covered in a tomato-based sauce. Somehow, though, they tasted completely different. The chicken was bland, but the lamb was so flavorful! I definitely wish I had ordered it. The same thing happened with the lentils and peas too. Peas: blahhhh. Lentils: spicy goodness :)

I don't know how the things in the platter could be so different. I wish there was a little more consistency in tastes. This is one place where "hit-or-miss" appears to be the best description. The things that were good were really good. But unfortunately, getting those is all about luck. Overall, not a good place to just try new things.

As a post-script, here are some random notes. The Ethiopian bread is definitely very different. It's very moist (almost soggy), with a slight acidic flavor. I kind of like it, though. And note 2: we weren't even offered regular silverware. We had to eat everything with the bread and our fingers. That was OK while we were eating, but became a problem later when we were trying to pack up the leftovers to go. It was a pretty messy ordeal. I'm all for having an authentic cultural experience, but some things are a little hard to pass over (for example, utensils) when you're used to them since birth.

Opa!

My friend Ems has been insisting on trying Bulgarian food. Unfortunately, there are no Bulgarian restaurants in Atlanta, the city with the second highest Bulgarian community in the US... The best substitute for Bulgarian food you can find here is Greek food, so we had dinner at Taverna Plaka recently.  This is a sit-down restaurant as opposed to a diner like many other Greek places, and serves food that's pretty close to what my mom would make at home. On a side note, if you go there, you probably won't be sitting down the whole time as the stuff likes to start random dancing sessions as people are dining, and make everyone join in. They dance a tradition Greek/Bulgarian line dance (the Bulgarian word is horo) that I highly recommend for everybody. They also have a belly dancer that performs for part of the night. Actually, the crowd is very diverse, and the place seems to be a favorite with both families and bachelorette parties.

Ok, back to the food... One of my most favorite things about Taverna Plaka is the complementary make-your-own hummus. Yes, it is complementary, and yes, you make it at the table. They bring all the ingredients (chickpeas, garlic, oil, salt, etc.) in a wooden mortar, and you smash them together and mix them with the pestle. Aside from being really fun, this is great because you can control how chunky the chickpeas are; I tend to like hummus with more chunky pieces. The hummus comes with warm, crusty French bread with a soft interior that's really, really tasty. Plus, they do bring you more bread if you ask for it.

I wanted Ems to experience some Bulgarian flavors, so we also ordered the tzatziki sauce with pita chips as an appetizer. We have this yogurt-based sauce in Bulgaria, but usually eat it as a side salad. The one we got this time was too salty, but it's usually good and very refreshing.

For my entree, I ordered stuffed peppers and tomatoes. My mom makes stuffed peppers all the time, so I was curious to see how close the ones at the restaurant were to home-made. The verdict is that they were pretty close. The stuffing they used contained a lot more ground beef that my mom uses (her stuffing is mostly rice), but it did taste almost the same. The tomato was stuffed with the same beef/rice mixture. On the side, I had lemon-roasted potatoes that I really love.

I recommended to Ems the lamb stew because lamb can be considered the national meat in Bulgaria. I expected the dish to be more like a stew - chunks of meat with veggies. Instead, it was a large piece of meat in the middle of a bowl of orzo pasta. The lamb was fresh, tender and flavorful. I think Taverna Plaka is the only place in Atlanta that can cook lamb the way I like it.

Well, maybe it wasn't authentic Bulgarian, but Ems really liked the food, making the night a success.