ADDIS ABEBA

Sherman Kaplan Reporting
Restaurant Critic

ADDIS ABEBA
(847-328-5422 or 328-5411)
1322 Chicago Avenue, Evanston
A WBBM RESTAURANT REVIEW BY SHERMAN KAPLAN
BROADCAST OCTOBER 5, 2007


Ethiopia is where myth tells us coffee was first discovered by a wandering goatherd. It is where King Solomon found his Queen of Sheba. It is a land of a rich, often troubled history, and a land of exotic foods.

Addis Abeba at 1322 Chicago Avenue in Evanston is a very pretty restaurant with art that draws upon Coptic Church imagery, Ethiopia’s ancient religion.

Ethiopian cuisine is genuinely unique. It is a food meant to be eaten out of hand. The Addis Abeba staff make humorous reference to this fact with shirts and logo emblazoned with a picture of table ware, and a red strike-out line through the image.

Every Ethiopian meal is centered around injera. This flat bread looks like a crepe, but has a slightly fermented taste. Small mounds of vegetables and meat are placed on the injera, which becomes an edible table mat. It is communal eating, as everyone scoops up some food with the injera as wrapping.

It’s easy enough to order at Addis Abeba, either ala carte or a combination which depending on your choice, will provide tastes of meat, fish, chicken and vegetarian selections. There are also a handful, no pun intended, of individual appetizers.

Just out of curiosity we chose sambusas, a crusted dumpling with seasoned lentils inside. Other apps range from cooling yogurt and cucumbers to an Ethiopian version of steak tartare.

Taking the path of least resistance, we moved on to combo dinners. The best flavors were from a simmered lamb stew and a classic chicken dish called doro wat. Another stew, chunked white fish in spices and vegetables was quite good, as was a vegetarian recipe centered around zucchini, with carrots and potatoes in a mild gravy.

As exotic as it sounds, there are clearly references to Arab cuisine, though which inspired which takes more of a food hi
storian than I. By the way, there are a couple of desserts, including ice cream, which you do not eat with your hands.
About $30 a couple plus add ons should do it. Addis Abeba is at 1322 Chicago Avenue in Evanston and has a K/RATING of 18/20.

AMBIANCE 4/4   HOSPITALITY 5/5   FOOD   9/11
(847-328-5422 or 328-5411)

Read more Sherman Kaplan Restaurant Reviews at wbbm780.com and in
North Shore Magazine

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