This time around, we decided to try
an interesting new cuisine: Ethiopian. Now, I know what you’re probably
thinking: Ethiopian? Isn’t it just rice sent from my zealous days of answering
vocabulary questions on www.freerice.com?
Actually, this assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. Don’t mock it
until you try it, I guess.
First, we
got out of our cars at an abandoned parking lot where a person of the African
persuasion accosted us with a 9-millimeter pistol. Just kidding. Nothing too
shady going on here. While the exterior of this building isn’t anything
extraordinary, the inside reveals itself like a pearl inside of an oyster. It
gives off a lavish, banquet hall feel, complete with classy music playing from the
speakers. To be honest, what I figured Ethiopian would be was a small hut and
that we would eat on the floor (which would be pretty cool), but this was far
from it. Portraits of famous Ethiopian people adorned the walls, adding to the
princely feel emanating from the restaurant.
Hi, welcome to Meaza...
Where you can dine in comfort and luxury...
The service was quick and impersonal, which was fine but clashed with the classy ambience. The menu was interesting, and we ended up ordering a variety of vegetarian options and a red snapper entrée. There was a lot more on the menu that I was intrigued to try, but perhaps that will be saved for another time. The wait wasn’t too long either, and all the food came out at once.
Here’s the
strange thing about Ethiopian food: you share the entrées with everyone at the
table (in this scenario, RB and myself). I thought this was a rather
interesting but welcome twist on the traditional dinner set-up. It encouraged
communion in a more intimate way than other restaurants (great for dates &
romantic dinners!).
The food
was delectable. In a large round plate, all the entrees are placed together,
while on separate plates each person is given a soft, crepe-like bread to eat
the entrées with. There was so much variety on the plate, but my favorites were
definitely the vegetarian options rather than the red snapper. Also, the food
was surprisingly filling; makes you wonder why there’s a hunger crisis in
Africa in the first place.
Food: 8.8/10
Service: 8.0/10
Décor: 9.2/10
Overall: 8.5/10
AND NOW, FOR REBECCA'S REVIEW...
Hey, readers! Rebecca
here. Today I’m going to be reviewing an Ethiopian restaurant that Monsieur Ali
and I visited on Tuesday.
I had actually been to
Meaza for the first time a few weeks ago for a July 4th dinner with
my family (weird way to celebrate America, I know). I absolutely loved it then,
and I was ready for round two. Before my 4th of July dinner, I’d
only had Ethiopian once or twice in DC, and every experience had been a good
one. Regardless, Meaza was by far the best Ethiopian I have had (although,
again, I’m not too familiar with this cuisine).
SO, Ali and I ordered a
vegetarian mix that included lentils, yellow peas, collard greens, a sort of
cole slaw mixture, shiro and timatim fitit. We also ordered some spicy fish
(although the type of fish we got escapes me at the moment). The soft,
sponginess of the bread at Meaza…my mouth is watering now. The bread sort of
has a crepe-like texture. It’s squishy and chewy, and dipped in those lentils
(my fave of the veggie bunch)…it’s heaven.
Savory…that is the word
I would use to describe the flavors of the vegetable dishes at Meaza. Most of
them were warm and contained spices and tastes that I couldn't really place. I
truly felt like I was eating something very new and unknown to me (and to my taste
buds). Basically, I have to give the food a really great score—a gold medal,
shall we say, in honor of the ongoing Olympics? Yes. A gold medal for Meaza on
its food’s performance. Order something with the spicy lentils for sure.
Now, the service doesn’t
exactly deserve the gold at Meaza. It doesn’t really get the silver or the
bronze, either. To be honest, the service was shabby and the waitress didn’t
interact with me or “Al the Angry Chef” much at all. But, did I mention the
food was great?
Warning: Beware of f3wLs at Meaza
The décor of Meaza also
takes a gold medal home tonight. Meaza is classy and appears as a place for
very fine dining. Beautiful arrangement! There are also portraits of Ethiopian
politicians on the walls…very interesting and unique. This made me want to
learn more about Ethiopian history and culture. The lighting was also very nice
at Meaza, and smooth jazz was playing. This made for a very calm, relaxed, but
also very luxurious atmosphere. Meaza sticks the landing!
Meaza sure is making a great showing this year! (Well, maybe not in all categories.)
Okay, enough with the
Olympic jokes and time for the real scores…
Food: 9.8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Décor: 9.5/10
Overall: 9/10
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