rev:text
| - I had a wonderful evening at Buraka with a friend who was visiting from out of town. Since it was a picture-perfect June evening, we chose to dine on the patio at the rear of the restaurant. It's a lovely garden-like setting under a canopy of trees, although the patio is on a bit of a slope so you need to be mindful about how you position your chairs to accommodate the fact that the patio isn't level. I'm a long-time fan of Buraka, and have enjoyed their food since the days of their basement-level State Street location. The main courses are comprised of things Americans would consider stews to be served with rice or injera, a crepe-like sourdough bread used to scoop up the food. My friend isn't a fan of stews, so he opted to order a couple apps for his main course: the coconut shrimp and the almond-crusted duck tenderloin. I had the begwot, a spicy lamb and carrot dish served with injera. They offer gluten-free injera for a buck-and-a-half up-charge, and that's what I went with. The verdict: The shrimp was fantastic. The appetizer features five good-sized shrimp, and they were delicious. The duck was good, but didn't send me over the moon. The thin medallions of tenderloin were dominated by the almond crust. They were tasty, but a bit over-cooked and dry. Both were served with a damn fine dipping sauce that had a fiery kick. My lamb entree was yummy, and just what I expected--a bit zippy, but not too hot to handle. Entrees are served with a simple, and simply perfect, salad of romaine and tomatoes dressed with a vinaigrette that makes a refreshing counterpoint to the entrees. They seemed to be a bit short-staffed that evening, and after a too-long wait, I went to the bar to get the glass of wine I ordered myself, but no big whoop. I can deal with that. Bottom line: Check this place out. It's worth the visit.
|