Ethiopian Food on the Cheap

In celebration of the hopeful glimmers on the global solvency front, I did something last night which I haven't done in ages: met a friend for drinks down on Avenue C, and then continued on to dinner. That is to say, in a real restaurant—the kind I have not darkened the halls of with any frequency since the entire economy decided to set up shop at the bottom of the toilet.

We went to Awash—the downtown satellite location of the popular Ethiopian eatery up on Amsterdam and 106th Street. My lack of recent familiarity with restaurant food notwithstanding, I feel justified in referring to this place as the bomb. The people who run it are incredibly sweet, the food is ready in a jiffy, and the quality is outstanding. (And that's not just in comparison to the reviled Pakistani-Indian joints that crowd around either side of its 6th Street address.) Granted, my experience with Ethiopian food is limited, but Awash far surpasses any other I've dined on in recent memory. The injera (pancake-like bread) was outstandingly fluffy and moist, and the chicken, lamb, carrots, lentils, and collared greens we scooped up with portions of it were no less enthralling. It took considerable effort to roll ourselves back onto the street after such a gargantuan meal—one which should be noted set us back less than twenty bucks each, including a hefty tip.

The general giddiness of the evening derailed my intention of photographing the beautiful platter of food which was delivered to our table, so pictured here is a similar one, originally snapped by Flickr user Abbyladybug. (Licensed for re-use via Creative Commons.) If you happen to be passing through the East Village (I know, who does that anymore!?), Awash is a brilliant spot for a thoughtfully prepared feast. For your pre-dining pleasure, here's a track from Ethiopian sax god Getatchew Mekuria, as first heard on his amazing collaboration with the Ex. [Download MP3]

Comments

[Zora]

I'll give it a try! Ethiopian is one of my absolute most favorite kinds of food. Have successfully made it at home, but a lot of the NYC restaurants I've tried have been not totally mindblowing the way I want...

[r:m:b]

Zora, One of these days, we should organize a road/train trip to this place: http://www.makedas.com/

It's in downtown New Brunswick, and has for years been alleged to serve some of the best Ethiopian on the east coast. Needless to say, I am *very* curious! -Mike

[Tim Kastelle]

An extreme difficulty in finding good Ethiopian food is one the biggest flaws of Australia. It's one of the things we always get when we visit you neck of the woods....

[SKM]

Count me in for such a trip -- one of the very few things I miss about living in DC is the multitude of Ethiopian places along the 18th and U Street corridors.