Ras Dashen
5846 N. Broadway Ave, Chicago
Overall Experience: 5.0
Menu Variety: 4.0
Food Quality: 5.0
Value: 3.0
Service: 5.0
Ambiance: 5.0
Even though I have yet to find a restaurant which parallels Addis Abeba (R.I.P.), Ras Dashen is an excellent substitute. Located in the Edgewater neighborhood, it occupies a stretch of Broadway that has two other Ethiopian restaurants and a few African stores. There is one store right next to the restaurant, which actually sells teff–the grain behind injera.
The restaurant is not particularly spacious, and by 8:00, there was a small wait. Still, the sparse elegant African decor and subdued lightning help belie the crowds. There are both the traditional mosseb seating (with or without chairs), and tables. I was most impressed with the service, as the service in Ethiopian restaurants tend to be more, er, laidback than we Americans expect. We received our check promptly, got immediate refills on our injera (without asking!), and barely waited for anything. Our waitress was friendly and funny.
The menu was fairly extensive. There were only two appetizers (lentil soup or sambusas), but there were approximately 16 vegetarian options, 4 of which are entrees and the rest sides which could be turned into entrees. The meat selection covered beef, lamb, fish, and kitfo with different varieties of preparation (wat tibs, etc.).There was the option of a meat combination (2 choices) and vegetarian combination (5 choices). Three sides are allowed per table. The prices were kind of high, about $15-$20 per person, but that tends to be the case everywhere.
We started off with the sambusas. They are offered with beef, vegetables, or lentils, and we got the lentils. They were crisp and small, and there was only a tiny amount of lentils inside, but I thought that was good as I didn’t want to get too full before dinner. The dipping sauce was tart and contrasted well.
I ordered the entree, as I am not a fan of all the sides (okra, string beans) and my stomach didn’t feel well enough to try lb, soft cheese. Someone else ordered it and it very much resembled cream cheese. I ordered the shiro (pureed chickpeas), and my sides were Ye-meser, Gomen, and Kik Alicha. My esteemed dining companion ordered the meat combinaton with leleb (sp?) kifto, slightly cooked, and sega wat, beef in that infamously spicy sauce.
The gomen was the best I have ever had. They interspersed broccoli bits with the collared greens which cut down on the bitter flavor, and heavily spiced it, which I really enjoyed. The kik alicha (yellow split peas) was not spiced enough, so the split peas kind of overwhelmed the taste. The Meser was excellent, as I love lentils and they didn’t puree them to a mush, but I wish they added more wat.
The Shiro was superb in taste, very flavorful, but the texture was a little too liquid, which made injera dipping difficult. I cannot remark on the kitfo as I do not like it, but my companion claimed it was excellent, although not spicy enough (which is his complaint for almost everything). The sega wat was outstanding: small chunks of beef in wat which was juicy and full of flavors.
We ended the night with some Ethiopian coffee and tea. I had chai spiced with cardamun which smelled heavenly and tasted just as good. The Ethiopian coffee was thick and strong and also smelled delighful. It was served in an authentic jug. They also offer yellow Tej, which was not too sweet, and a selection of Ethiopian beers. My companion tried the Harar, which was dark with a heavily hopped finish.
Overall, I had a great experience. The atmosphere is warm and inviting and I noticed some Africans eating there, which is always reassuring (nothing like going to an ethnic restaurant like Tiffin and seeing only upper class Chicagoans). They are also open late (11). A perfect Saturday night excursion.
