Awash in Satisfaction

If you've never had Ethiopian food, you're missing out on an awesome experience. The dining room of an Ethiopian restaurant is usually filled with round mesob tables made of colorful straw and the menu is an enticing mix of proteins served on top of and eaten with injera bread (I like to think of it as a cross between a tortilla because it's flat and a crumpet because of all the bubbles, thoughts?).

I was recently invited to Awash in Brooklyn Heights and had a wonderful meal. The owner, Boge, an Ethiopian native, greeted us warmly and offered us a glass of the traditional Sheba Tej wine made of honey. While the blackberry version tasted a little like Manischewitz (anyone?), I quite liked the white varietal. It's a bit reminiscent of sherry or another alcohol-infused wine.

Entrance of Awash on Court Street

Mesob tables

Interior of Awash

Sheba Tej

We started with an avocado salad ($10) which was oddly like a deconstructed guacamole, but hey, I'm not complaining. You could feed me avocado till the cows come home and I'm happy.

Avocado Salad

The best way to attack the rest of the menu is to share because the food comes served on a giant platter. We opted for the Awash Chicken ($16) marinated with garlic, ginger, and other spices, cooked with tomatoes, celery, onions and jalapenos and the Vegetable Combo for 2 ($30.95) which included the following: Key Sir Alicha (red beets, carrots and potatoes); string beans and carrots cooked in a seasoned garlic sauce; Gomen (collard greens cooked with onions, garlic, and jalapenos); Yemissir Kik Wat (split red lentils cooked in Berbere sauce); and Yater Kik Alicha (yellow split peas cooked and seasoned with onions and herbs).

All our food!

Starting in September, Awash will offer an Ethiopian Tapas Tasting for $18 per person which includes Sheba Tej paired. Also, if you visit on a Monday in September with at least one other person, you will get a free appetizer.