A few years ago, shortly after starting this blog, I did a review of Awash Ethiopian restaurant. I've been back several times since but thought it was time for an update. Not much has changed since 2009. It's still comfortable and relaxed and serves really good, authentic Ethiopian food.
We went there for dinner tonight and I purposely chose a menu item I had not tried before. I ordered the fried beef ribs. These were very different from what I have ordered in the past. Instead of small bits of meat mixed with spices these were slices of rib with bone that were seasoned and fried with jalapenos and onions and awaze (spicy sauce which tasted very similar to the sauce meats are mixed with in other dishes.
The ribs were served fajita style. First they brought a plate covered by a piece of enjera and a bit of salad and accompanied by a side of the awaze. Next, the waitress brought out a sizzling platter with the ribs, onions and jalapenos, and spooned it all on top of the enjera. The ribs were very good and seasoned nicely, but I think I prefer the other dishes I've had in the past. Although the awaze had that same flavor I'm used to, it didn't have as big a flavor impact served on the side as the dishes that are cooked in sauce.
In my previous review I stated that I had not tried the tej. I have since tried it, but not tonight. It was good, but not something I would drink on a regular basis. It's not too sweet as I feared it might be, but if I'm going to drink wine with dinner, I prefer something dry.
I also wanted to try wot this evening. I had ordered the collard greens wot, unfortunately I never got it. Although the waitress apologized profusely, somehow it didn't get in my order. Oh well, something new to look forward to next time I go. This is an example of the one problem I have with this restaurant. The waitresses are very nice but don't have a good grasp of English and this is not the first time my order wasn't exactly correct. This evening, after we were finished eating the waitress and I did a little "Who's on first" regarding taking our leftovers and ordering baklava to go. I'm willing to overlook this because the food is so good, it was just a side dish and the order has never been so wrong that I was completely unhappy, but if you're a stickler for perfect service you may be quite disappointed.
All in all, I still highly recommend this restaurant for those with adventurous taste buds. Just remember to wash your hands before dinner.
For those of you who may have visited my blog before, welcome back. I've made a few changes. I hope you like them.
I plan to bring you useful information on places to go and food to eat in San Diego. I consider myself a tourist in my own town and am looking for new things to do all the time. I hope you'll join me or share your ideas.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Pacific Nature Tours
A great day for whale watching and the Coronado Islands...Pacific Nature Tours
A couple of weeks ago we found a deal on Living Social for an 8 hour whale watching cruise for just $69. Since I can't spend enough time on boats and the deal was so great we bought. Today we used our vouchers and we want to go again, although considering the normal price of $195, we probably won't be able to unless we find another deal.
Growing up in Coastal Southern California harbor tours are one of those things your family does every now and then, like going to the zoo or Disneyland. Since moving to San Diego I've gone much more frequently, because I'm an adult and can buy a ticket whenever I want. I would not recommend taking your kids on this trip though, and not because they might be loud or annoying but because they will be bored to death. The trip is great but it's 8 hours on a boat that you can't leave. There were some very exciting moments but there's a lot of just cruising along in between. There was a couple who brought their 2 grandchildren and although they were very well-behaved kids, you could tell that they were dying of boredom at points. That being said, even though their web site says it's great for families, if you don't bring the kids you've got to go!
The tour goes down to the Coronado Islands, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico but you don't need your passport, people are not allowed on the islands. One of the things I loved most about this trip is, as I mentioned above, harbor cruises are a pretty regular thing around here but this trip took us way out into open water. Not that I haven't been on other trips into open water in many other places, just not as often. On the way to the islands we were treated to a display of white water pounding against the rock. The islands are beautiful, volcanic rock with areas of luscious greenery, brilliant turquoise water, a variety of sea birds (which means areas painted completely white with guano) seals and sea lions. It almost felt like a pirate movie or Disneyland, it was that perfect. We saw a large number of pelicans dive-bombing to find food. Pelicans may not impress you, but I've had a special love for them since my trip to Southern Mexico years ago.
Breakfast and lunch were included. No gourmet faire, just fruit, bagels and yogurt for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch, non-alcoholic beverages included, in a cramped galley (as most galleys are). Beer, wine, mimosas and bloody marys are available for a separate price. Its definitely not about the food, but you gotta eat, right? The staff is very friendly and there were 2 naturists on board to point things out and answer questions. After lunch the galley turned in to the nap room and when we woke up there were snacks. Just like kindergarten for adults, without scissors and paste.
On the way out of the bay there were sea lions and sea birds of course. As we got farther South we saw a large number of dolphins and a few grey whales. One of the whales breached 3 times. It was spectacular. "We" also saw a couple of minke whales. I say "we" because I never saw them. Evidently minke whales are pretty elusive and as soon as one of the naturists spots one they disappear. I think perhaps they are the aquatic version of a snipe hunt.
All in all I would say this trip should definitely be at the top of your list if you're visiting San Diego or if you're a local who has enough photos of the Coronado, bridge taken from the bow of a boat, to wallpaper your living room.
A couple of weeks ago we found a deal on Living Social for an 8 hour whale watching cruise for just $69. Since I can't spend enough time on boats and the deal was so great we bought. Today we used our vouchers and we want to go again, although considering the normal price of $195, we probably won't be able to unless we find another deal.
Growing up in Coastal Southern California harbor tours are one of those things your family does every now and then, like going to the zoo or Disneyland. Since moving to San Diego I've gone much more frequently, because I'm an adult and can buy a ticket whenever I want. I would not recommend taking your kids on this trip though, and not because they might be loud or annoying but because they will be bored to death. The trip is great but it's 8 hours on a boat that you can't leave. There were some very exciting moments but there's a lot of just cruising along in between. There was a couple who brought their 2 grandchildren and although they were very well-behaved kids, you could tell that they were dying of boredom at points. That being said, even though their web site says it's great for families, if you don't bring the kids you've got to go!
The tour goes down to the Coronado Islands, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico but you don't need your passport, people are not allowed on the islands. One of the things I loved most about this trip is, as I mentioned above, harbor cruises are a pretty regular thing around here but this trip took us way out into open water. Not that I haven't been on other trips into open water in many other places, just not as often. On the way to the islands we were treated to a display of white water pounding against the rock. The islands are beautiful, volcanic rock with areas of luscious greenery, brilliant turquoise water, a variety of sea birds (which means areas painted completely white with guano) seals and sea lions. It almost felt like a pirate movie or Disneyland, it was that perfect. We saw a large number of pelicans dive-bombing to find food. Pelicans may not impress you, but I've had a special love for them since my trip to Southern Mexico years ago.
Breakfast and lunch were included. No gourmet faire, just fruit, bagels and yogurt for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch, non-alcoholic beverages included, in a cramped galley (as most galleys are). Beer, wine, mimosas and bloody marys are available for a separate price. Its definitely not about the food, but you gotta eat, right? The staff is very friendly and there were 2 naturists on board to point things out and answer questions. After lunch the galley turned in to the nap room and when we woke up there were snacks. Just like kindergarten for adults, without scissors and paste.
On the way out of the bay there were sea lions and sea birds of course. As we got farther South we saw a large number of dolphins and a few grey whales. One of the whales breached 3 times. It was spectacular. "We" also saw a couple of minke whales. I say "we" because I never saw them. Evidently minke whales are pretty elusive and as soon as one of the naturists spots one they disappear. I think perhaps they are the aquatic version of a snipe hunt.
All in all I would say this trip should definitely be at the top of your list if you're visiting San Diego or if you're a local who has enough photos of the Coronado, bridge taken from the bow of a boat, to wallpaper your living room.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Himalayan Cuisine
A pleasant surprise, not too far from home... Himalayan Cuisine
Just on accident we stumbled across this restaurant. We don't spend much time in the East County but were on our way home from Parkway Plaza tonight. I did a quick search for restaurants in La Mesa and Himalayan Cuisine came up. What is Himalayan Cuisine? Well, it's a lot like Indian food. In fact, I could not tell you the differences. Their sign says Himalayan, Indian and Nepalese food.
This place is in a strip mall on El Cajon Blvd. You can see the sign for it on El Cajon Blvd., but the restaurant is farther in the strip mall hiding behind the 99 cents only store. It's a pretty big place, but it seems they probably use the larger back area for special occasions. We were seated in the front, along with everyone else who came in while we were there. There were 4 or 5 small booths and a few larger tables in this area. It's fairly dark inside, so if you need light to read your menu, bring one with you. The overall look of the place is pretty drab, but the ceiling included some panels with interesting designs on them.
What did I get?
Everyone gets a cup of lentil soup to start. It was very hot to the touch, but I would have liked a little more spice. We ordered vegetable pakora appetizer . Very tasty, shredded vegetable haystacks coated in what tasted like lentil flour then fried, served with mint chutney. They also have samosas which some may prefer, but those came with a tamarind chutney. I can eat gobs of mint chutney, thus the pakora.
I love lamb!!! I got the #29. Sorry, didn't write down its name. It is lamb in a slightly sweet and hot, flavorful sauce, served with your choice of Basmati rice or "bread". The waiter didn't specify, but I'm thinking it probably would have been naan. I got the rice and ordered it at level 6 for heat. I could have gone hotter and been fine. It was very good, lots of sauce, and I love sauces. The best part was that the lamb tasted like lamb. I've often been very disappointed when ordering lamb and getting something that I could not distinguish as being lamb. If I want lamb, like I often do, I want it to taste like lamb. If you can't taste that delicious gaminess, then you might as well order beef. My dinner companion ordered #46, I think. It was kinda like an Indian version of fried rice with lamb, served with Raita. It was pretty good, but of course I liked mine better because it was saucy. For dessert we tried the "juicy milk balls". Not really my kind of thing. Cake balls with honey or something really sweet in the middle, served warm in a very sweet syrup. I'm not a big sweet eater to begin with, and I didn't care for the texture, kinda like tres leches cake but denser on the outside and even sweeter.
He also ordered a chai tea. This is nothing like you get at the coffee monopoly stores. You could actually taste the tea, which had a grassy taste. The spices were not as pronounced as many people may be used to. It was served hot and unsweetened. After adding 3 sugars, he was happy with it.
They also feature a number of chicken and vegetarian dishes, all of which also sounded good.
As usual, whenever we go out to eat we bring home at least another meal's worth of leftovers. I'm looking forward to lunch tomorrow.
What's cool?
The waiters are very nice and it's pretty relaxing inside. Even though it's in a strip mall, all the windows except the glass door are covered with fabric so you can forget you're just steps away from the 99 cent store. The music playing was pretty interesting (if you're weird like me). It kinda sounded like a cross between native American and Celtic, different than I remember ever hearing in an Indian restaurant.
What sucks?
Nothing really sucked besides the dessert, but it just wasn't my kind of thing.
Rating...Good food and a nice change of pace.
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