I recently discovered an Ethiopian restaurant called Assab-Eritrean on San Francisco’s Geary Street, a neighborhood I rarely go to for any reason, especially food. On a busy road directly across from the very understated Sunstream Coffee bar where I had a meeting before my dinner, Assab-Eritrean is equally understated.
I don’t eat Ethiopian very often, not necessarily because I don’t love it, but partly because it has a similar effect on me as Indian food does – I keep eating and eating and forget when to stop. In other words, heavy sauces and lots of bread doesn’t make for the lightest meal on the block. So alas, like Indian and Mexican food, I tend to avoid Ethiopian more than I seek it out, yet when you find a place with a great cook, bring it on baby.
We only had one vegetarian among us, but because it was a fairly large group, we were able to order literally every dish on the menu, starting with vegetable and beef sambusas (peas and carrots) and ground beef. And since no one seemed to be into their local beer – HARAR — we dove into Ginger Beer to go with all the scrumptious dishes we ordered.
By the way, interestingly enough, they tout that they simmer ALL of their dishes in clarified butter, not something I think would be a selling point, but there it was, listed with every dish: simmered with clarified butter.
For vegetarian, we tried the lentils as well as the mixed veggie dish which combined Alicha with Okra and Zucchini, as well as mushrooms and spinach.
But, then the meat lovers started ordering…KELWA: top round sauteed with clarified butter, served with Jalapeno, tomatoes and yoghurt. Second up was Tsebhi – Derho, which is chicken served with hot peppers, onions, tomatoes and you guessed it, clarified butter. Third up was ZIGNI – beef (top round cut) cut up in small pieces served with yoghurt, onion and tomatoes. Fourth up was KITFO – beef with clarified butter of course, seasoned hot peppers, and homemade cheese. (it was ground up). Thumbs up for the food and the owners, who were nothing but gracious. The damage? $25 a head including our Ginger Beer and that included tap. Crikey, what a deal!
And then there was Lamb: KELWA BEGEE – japapenos, onion, tomatoes, lamb, all of which is simmered in clarified butter. Thumbs up for the food and the owners, who were nothing but gracious. The damage? $25 a head including our Ginger Beer and that included tap. Crikey, what a deal!
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
