Our first food culture to explore is Ethiopian. The bread, made from a grain called teff, is "injera." Very tasty. We tasted two kinds - one made with teff and wheat flour, the other with teff. Very interesting to compare the two breads. There were two meat dishes - one chicken and one beef - and three veggie dishes - cabbage/potato/carrot; miser watt(lentils); and comen (collards) Yummy
Everything was delicious. I had an experience with Blue Nile a few years back, it was my first time eating at the restaurant, last night was a much better experience and I enjoyed the veggie sambusa along with the Ethiopian wine called Brele'. I would recommend others looking to try new things to give it a shot.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to learn about the wine and how they drink from the class. I am regretting not ordering one myself.
DeleteKari Mellin
I had the same thought Kari - next time I go to Blue Nile I will taste this honey wine.
DeleteI tried to post my pics but I am obviously technically challenged when it comes to this blog and pics..
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I was a bit skeptical about eating at an Ethiopian Restaurant but I enjoyed the experience and the food. The spongy rolled bread called teff tasted plain but it was filling. Very tasty. We tasted two kinds - one made with teff and wheat flour, the other with teff. We also tried the gluten free teff and that was a tad sour. I do think if I went again I would like to try the gluten free teff first before the plain. The chicken and beef meat dishes were as expected-a tad spicy and in a sauce. I thought both were good. I thought the cabbage and potatoes was delicious and the collard greens were good (but not as good as mine). The mango juice tasted authentic and it was really good.
ReplyDeleteI hoped to learn more about Ethiopian culture from the experience but unfortunately it was just eating their type of food in a restaurant. I was not aware that they used the bread as a utensil and I liked that concept. I am not sure if serving the food on a platter for all to share is typical of every meal but I did not mind that either. I learned that I do not care for lentils :-( but I did like the Sambusa breading and I think I would enjoy a meat filled one. Overall, it was a pleasant experience.
Kari Mellin
Some of the things that I learned about last night's excursion was how similar some of the foods we ate last night tasted like authentic Mexican food. I noticed that the manner the chicken and beef were prepared was similar to that of Mexican food (deep south). The spices may not have been exactly the same; however, they were very similar. However, instead of using the Ethiopian injera, we use tortillas (and utensils). Also, the first thing we ate is similar to a Mexican empanada, except with different fillings used. That was probably my favorite thing from last night since it was the most familiar to me.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I learned about myself is that I am not afraid to try new things. I ate everything that was served, including mango juice, which I have never have tried before. Towards the end of the meal, we tried some gluten free injera. I was not a fan of the look of it, but I tried it nonetheless. Overall, it was a nice experience.
Jesus - It was so interesting to hear of the similarities to Mexican food; I've never made that connection.
DeleteI have to admit I was nervous about getting out of my comfort zone, especially with food. The older I get the more I'm realizing that we are all different buy something that can connect us all I'd food. I enjoyed the atmosphere of Blue Nile, it was small and intimate. The items that I enjoyed was the veggie sambusa and the honey wine. I loved the fact that our instructors made us eat without utensils, to give it a realistic feel. On my own, I would like to try other items on the menu. The waitresses were very knowledgeable and able to answer any questions that we had. Overall the experience was eye opening, it goes to show you that Kansas City has restaurants and events to cater to other cultures. Felicia Cason
ReplyDeleteSo glad that you are adventurous and willing to try new things
DeleteThis was my second time eating Ethiopian food, and it was much more pleasant than I expected. My first experience eating Ethiopian food left my stomach upset and me very skeptical about trying it again. I was at the Ethnic Fest when I had my first tasting, so I guess I should have not used that as the measuring stick. I decided to go into this with an open mind and I am really glad that I did.
ReplyDeleteThe food was sambusa, the chicken, and the beef dishes were pretty good - but I would say that I liked the collard greens more than anything. That was the most surprising to me since I usually am not that big of a fan of collard greens. The gluten free injera was definitely my least favorite thing.
The atmosphere was quite and intimate. The decor on the walls added to that feeling.
In the past if I've had a bad experience with a food I typically will not eat it again. But last night I learned that I am willing to give things a second chance. I think it is safe to say that I would give Ethiopian food another chance after this.
Chris Perkins
Really happy this experience turned out better, Chris
DeleteThis was my first time eating Ethiopian Food. It was something different than I typically eat. The way it was presented reminded me a little bit of Mexican food but didn't taste like it. The Sambusa was very good in my opinion. The main dish that we shared though was okay. The veggies to be honest from the main dish were more tasteful to me rather than the chicken, pork, and beef. The spongy taff was something completely different than I have every tasted. When it first came out, it looked similar to a tortilla but the texture was very different. I also tried some of the gluten free taff and it had more of a sour/bitten taste to it. The mango drink that I ordered was very tasty, and definitely would order that again if I return. It did remind me of a mango smoothie. Overall experience of the restaurant was great. I enjoy trying new foods even if I don't care for the taste or what not. The Ethiopian Food specifically the meat was a little to spicy for my taste buds and my stomach. The atmosphere was very interesting, I could tell the decorations were focused around the culture and that always catches my eye to be able to learn more. I could not figure out how to post photos on the blog.
ReplyDeleteI have never been interested in trying different types of food. I am picky and tend to stick to food that I know that I like. Honestly, I did not want to go to Blue Nile, but I knew that it was not a choice. To my surprise I actually enjoyed the veggie sambusa and the collard greens. Both of these items were new to me. I did not like the meat but I think that part of that was a texture issue.
ReplyDeleteThe inside of the restaurant was cozy and comfortable. The decorations and set-up made me feel like I was part of another culture. It did feel a little odd not to use a fork on food that I normally associate a fork with. In the end I am glad that I had the opportunity to try the food. - Amy S.
Great Amy - so happy it turned out well for you.
DeleteI really enjoyed the overall experience at the restaurant. I really enjoyed the veggie sambusa! I also tried the traditional Ethiopian honey wine and it was very good as well. I learned how to drink the wine in the traditional way. I really liked how they had lots of decorations that were correlated to the Ethiopian culture. The servers were very educated about the culture and were very open in informing us about each dish and the names associated with it. Overall, it was a great experience.
ReplyDeleteAshley U
This was my second time experiencing Ethiopian cuisine. My first experience was at a restaurant in Berkley, California. I do not remember too much from that experience except that they traditionally used the injera to eat with instead of utensils and the injera was very much like a sourdough bread taste for me. I'm not a fan of sourdough and so as a whole I was not a fan of Ethiopian food after my first experience.
ReplyDeleteNow after my experience the second time around either my taste buds have changed or the change of restaurant/ state where the food was made made it a bit more enjoyable taste wise. Of all that we tried I like the Sambusa appetizer the best. It reminded me of the Samosa appetizer I get when I eat at my favorite Indian place. It is filled with much the same things and it's really the spices that were different between the two appetizers. I am not a spicy hot food person in the least. So for me the two meat dishes were not good. I had hopes for the chicken dish but it's spice crept up on you and I could eat more than two small bites before my mouth was on fire. The lentils were good and the greens were much like other greens I have had. Another item I had that reminded me of Indian cuisine was the mango drink. This mango drink tasted very fresh as if I was biting directly into a mango. It was very tasty.
The overall atmosphere was cozy and intimate. I'm not sure I would go there again by myself but I'd be willing to go again if my brother who like Ethiopian food was in town.
I enjoyed being able to experience a new type of cuisine. This was my first time trying Ethiopian food, and I was quite pleased. Being that I have Crohn's disease, I am cautious in what I consume specifically gluten. So being the only person who was gluten-intolerant, my injera was different from what everyone else had received. However, this ended up being a good thing for all of us, learning that the gluten-free version of injera was in fact more authentic being that it was made of pure Teff and not a mixture of Teff and Wheat. So I am glad I was able to help discover this! From the main dishes we tasted, I liked the cabbage the best. I am always a bit hesitant when it comes to meat and not specifically knowing its preparation (after a bad experience while I was traveling in Australia) but I am always willing to try new things and I did enjoy the spices that were used such as Berbere. I would have to say that my favorite item from the meal though was the Mango Juice. I absolutely loved it!
ReplyDeleteOlivia Lorance