| rev:text
| - First of all, Google Maps, your walking directions to get here are wrong, wrong, WRONG. My boyfriend and I walked in the completely wrong direction down University, following the directions Google gave me, until we called Blue Nile and were told the cross streets were Rural and University: in the opposite direction. It is hot here, okay? I'm sorry we don't drive but that is no reason to punish us.
We ended up getting there around 1030 in the morning (early risers) and were confused by the sign on the door saying they opened at 12 PM, when the phone-answerer had just told us 11. They did, however, open their doors at 11, when we entered and were greeted by Marly (sp?), who asked us if we were here for Ethiopian or Raw food, because the raw menus weren't printed yet (new menus weekly-a good sign!) We chose to read over the Ethiopian menu and decide on any additional raw items later. Since we were the first ones there, she asked us where we would like to sit, and we opted for the bright dining room with wooden tables, yellow-orange painted walls, and colorful art and carvings. The other room, with lower wicker seats and curtains, looked very cute, but with much less light, and we wanted to see the food as we enjoyed it.
What we ordered (caveat--I'm recovering from a cold so my tastebuds are not at their best; you may want to read Daniel's review of the same meal when he gets to Yelp):
1) Ethiopian black tea - this was an unsweetened iced tea, but still very refreshing, with the wonderful scent of and slight taste of cardamom and cloves. They did not even laugh when I poured (and spilled) some of the tea into my water bottle because it was so good.
2) Sambusas - we started with one order of collards and potato sambusas (one for each of us). The skin was much thinner than the Somalian sambusas that we're used to, and the filling was much less spicy. The yogurt-based dipping sauce, however, was incredible and really enhanced the dish, although it too was mildly spiced.
3) Vegan combo - We got the chickpeas, red lentils, eggplant, collard greens, and split peas combo, which is technically for one but was definitely enough for the both of us. They are all delicious although, again, not as spicy as I was hoping for (again, tastebuds and sinuses may be at fault). My two favorites were the split peas and collards. The eggplant was not as soft as I like (I only liked eggplant if it is mushy, personal preference), and the red lentils were too sweet. The best part, of course, was the injera on top of which the food was served, when the flavors have soaked into the little pockets.
4) Raw desserts: Persian Cashew Custard and Raw Banana Ice Cream. I'm not a dessert person but Daniel definitely loved them. The texture of the custard was great, very creamy, and I think it had a touch of saffron. The banana ice cream basically tasted like cold banana to me, with a raw chocolate syrup that I really loved.
The service, by the way, rocked! Marly was so attentive and nice, coming up to us often and ready to answer any question. Admittedly, there were not many other people, but I noticed her giving that same degree of attention to a woman who was clearly a regular. I will definitely be back sometime in the next 3 weeks that I'm stuck here in Tempe, to enjoy the excellent food, ambience, and company.
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