Menu: Ethiopian traditional dishes
Atmosphere: Traditional Ethiopian tables a
nd chairs. Relaxed, uni
que
Kid Friendly: Only if your kids like Ethiopian food
Prices: The Combo dishes were very reasonable and more than enough
food for 4 of us
Okay, I will admit it. I am a total chicken when it comes to trying other countries' cuisines. I am afraid to go into their restaurants and look foolish. I know, I need to get over that if I am going to write a good food blog. Last night I didn't have to worry about my fear because we were with our good friends Zev and Maureen, and Zev suggested we go to Addis RedSea and Ethiopian restaurant. I had no clue what Ethiopian cuisine would be, but I was always curious. Addis is located in the South End on Tremont street and I must have walked past it a dozen times hoping to someday get over my fear and just try it out. Zev and Maureen had been before so this was my perfect opportunity.
Okay, I will admit it. I am a total chicken when it comes to trying other countries' cuisines. I am afraid to go into their restaurants and look foolish. I know, I need to get over that if I am going to write a good food blog. Last night I didn't have to worry about my fear because we were with our good friends Zev and Maureen, and Zev suggested we go to Addis RedSea and Ethiopian restaurant. I had no clue what Ethiopian cuisine would be, but I was always curious. Addis is located in the South End on Tremont street and I must have walked past it a dozen times hoping to someday get over my fear and just try it out. Zev and Maureen had been before so this was my perfect opportunity.
When we entered Addis the first thing I noticed were the tables.There weren't any, in the traditional sense that is, instead there were "Mesobs". Mesobs are
Ethiopian low basket style tables. The tables were surrounded by beautifully carved wooden chairs, and the chair seats are even with the top of the mesob. The mesobs are for the meal to be eaten from. On the sides of the mesobs were smaller side tables for drinks to be placed.
We really had no idea what we were in for, but luckily we had Zev and Maureen with us who said the food would be served on one platter and we would use our hands to eat it. No Utensils! If you know my husband we all got a good laugh out of this. He likes to keep his hands clean, but he is not a wimp, and he embraced the cultural experience.
Before dinner, our waitress brought us hot lemon scented towels to clean our hands with. We were almost reluctant to give them up. The warm clothes felt so good after walking through the cold to get there. I think Lou enjoyed his the most, remember Mr. Clean Hands.
Because it was our first time at Addis, we trusted Maureen with the ordering. This is what we got if I am remembering correctly.
We started with Sambusa, which is a pastry filled with either vegetables, beans or meat. Ours was stuffed with a spicy meat. Two pastries came and we split them in half with our hands and ate them. I think this was Maureen's way of easing Lou into
using his hands to eat. The Sambusa was like a Samosa. The beef inside had a nice spice to it. It was dry, but I think it was meant to be dry. We enjoyed it as our prerequisite of what was to come.For dinner we ordered the Addis Red Sea Special which was a combo for two containing:
Dora Wot (chicken)
Dora Alcha(chicken)
Lega Tib (Lamb)
Zenge (Exotic beef stew)
We also ordered the Vegetarian Combo for two and chose:
Gomen Wot (Collard Greens)
Butecha (Chickpea paste)
Atakilt (Mixed Veggies)
Yesmir Wot (Lentils)
Mitten Shuro Wot (Split Peas)
The best part about the meal is how it was served. A large round platter is placed into the mesob. Spread out all over the platter is Ethiopian bread called injera. It is a spongy bread with holes in it made of Teff Cereal. It looks like a big spongy tortilla. On top of the injera were mounds of the items we ordered. Accompanying our platter were separate dishes of injera to use to pick up the various items. As the mounds of food got smaller we were able to pull the injera from the platter and eat that as well. The injera below any of the meat dishes was extremely flavorful as it sopped up all the juicy goodness of the dishes.
The food was very good. There were spices used in the meat dishes like cardamom, ginger, rosemary, tumeric, and chili powder. The chili powder added spice but not too much. Onions are used in a lot of the dishes as well but are not overpowering. Spices were also used perfectly in the vegetarian dishes. The chickpea paste, Lentils, and collard greens were my favorite.
The food is extremely filling. Zev joked that the injera expands in your stomach. We definitely were full at the end of the meal, but not too full for dessert!
Addis didn't seem to have anything unique as dessert. I am guessing Ethiopian's aren't famous for their pastry chefs. They had things like Tiramisu, and a fruit tartlet. At first we decided to pass on dessert, but as we were walking back to the car, Lou yelled out Omni Parker House Hotel for Boston Cream Pie!
Omni Parker House
Menu: We went there specifically for the Boston Cream Pie
Atmosphere: Stately, Historic, Rich
Kid Friendly: Sure but we didn't see any
Prices: Typical for Boston, the Cream Pie is $8
About a month ago we were watching the food network and discovered the Omni Parker House hotel invented the Boston Cream Pie. We have been wanting to try it ever since. Last night, everyone was game, so we headed over.
The Omni Parker House has been has been a Boston landmark since 1855. It has a rich and interesting history. Besides the Boston Cream Pie being invented on the premises, the Parker House also perfected the Lemon Meringue Pie.
Some other notables about the Parker House:
*Ho Chi Minh worked as a baker from 1911 to 1913.
*Malcolm X was a busboy there during the invasion of Pearl Harbor
*John Wilkes Booth once stayed at the hotel
*John F. Kennedy's bachelor party was held there in the Press Room
These are just a few of the interesting facts surrounding the hotel
We headed to the Parker Bar to seek out our Boston Cream Pie. The bar has a timeless beauty with detailed hardwood walls, and rich interiors, you can sense the tradition and history that is part of the hotel.
Along with our Boston Cream Pie we also ordered a few coffees and teas. The Boston Cream Pie
was served on a dish accompanied by two dollops of whipped cream. It was accented by chocolate sauce. If you don't know, a Boston Cream Pie is actually a cake made of several layers of vanilla, yellow cake and vanilla custard alternating, topped with a layer of chocolate. We got two and shared them. They did not disappoint. If you're going to try this dessert
while in Boston, you've got to try it here.
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