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| - Note: According to their website, there is at 2.5 hour gap between lunch and dinner occurring from 2:30 to 5PM.
Kay was really wanting to try some Ethiopian cuisine as was I. Originally our plan was to go to Abay, but once we found a parking spot, we discovered Tana, which is right around the block from Abay, wasn't nearly as busy, and was closer to where we parked the car. So to Tana we headed.
The reviews seem to be mixed. On our end, however, we were really left with no gripes about the food or the service, but bear in mind that this was our first brush with Ethiopian fare. Having said that, I was somewhat reminded of Indian food based on what we ordered.
Our starter was the Sambusa, which immediately recalled a certain Indian appetizer I've had numerous times. We got ours filled with ground beef (other choices include chicken or vegetables) and found that it managed a fine balancing act between savory and delicate, making for a strong opener.
For the entree I chose a meat entree called Tana Tibs, which consisted of sauteed lamb, onions, peppers, garlic, rosemary, and something they refer to as Awaze, all on a bed of injera (Nan's Ethiopian counterpart) with two vegetarian sides (offered with every entree) in Tikil Gomen and Azifa. Again, maybe I don't know what "good" Ethiopian food is, but to me everything was outstanding.
It amazes me how good, good food is good, good food no matter where your dart lands on the globe. Equally amazing was how everything overlapped. Great cooks thinking alike? The Tini Tibs invoked Lamb Curry. The Tikil Gomen came off like Halusky sans the noodles. The Azifa, a cold lentil salad, could have been some obscure Mediterranean or Arabic dish had I eaten blindly.
One has to wonder just who influenced who? Africa has been considered the birthplace of civilization. Could the continent be the fount of all the world's eats as well? This meal was as educational as it was mouthwatering, not to mention pungent. I have to disagree with some of the other reviewers who complained about a lack of flavor. All of the entrees put in front of us were permeated with the same vinegary zest that was synchronously familiar yet wondrously peregrine.
The injera alone was engrossing. A spongy towel of a bread, eating with it took some getting used to, and I'm not sure I mastered it. Yet I dared not ask for utensils. Kay seemed to have an easier time than I did. Our lovely server was kind enough to bring out more of it for us since I used most of it up early. The food was served atop the injera, making it sopping and fragile in parts. Kay's roll-and-eat-like-a-tortilla technique seemed to work for her. I just pulled off pieces of the injera and used them to pick up my food, semi-gracefully I might add.
Kay had the Doro Wot in the (don't laugh) Kay Wot in Berbere Sauce with Ye Abesha Gomen. I forgot the other vegetarian dish she got.
The Doro Wot included a chicken leg and a hard boiled egg (!). Once again, I had to step in to help her finish, but the dish was so palatable that I didn't mind acting as her human garbage disposal.
Dessert-wise, they only offer Baklava, Carrot Cake, and Chocolate Cake. I know, not very Ethiopian. We shared a huge wedge of the Chocolate Cake, which came from elsewhere.
Although Abay is getting all the accolades, I'm glad we came to Tana instead, and I hope both of them stay around to duel it out in the same neighborhood for many years to come. My money's on the quieter, more intimate underdog.
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