Ethiopian food at Addis Red Sea

The day that Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died, June 25th, 2009, was also the day I first visited Addis Red Sea. I remember the day very clearly. A group of girlfriends and I planned monthly outings in which one of us would pick a restaurant and would be responsible for organizing the dinner. That month someone had chosen Addis Red Sea, an Ethiopian restaurant in Cambridge, between Porter Square and Harvard Square. I remember eating at the restaurant and getting a call from my mom who told me that Michael Jackson had died. June 25th also happened to be the day before I met Carlos for the very first time. But those things did not overshadow the wonderful dining experience I had at Addis Red Sea. I told Carlos about it numerous times. How I loved the spongy bread, not using utensils and the delicious and fragrant servings they piled on your bread. I was looking forward to going back and Carlos was curious to try something new.

The seating at Addis Red Sea looks like this! There are a couple of seats around a Mesob, a small lidded basket table that is traditional in Ethiopia. They remove the lid and inside is a red liner. The entree is served on the bread. You have a small side table for your drinks and your napkins. There are no utensils. I mean it. NO UTENSILS!

See the red lining? Here Carlos is contemplating which African beer he wants to drink.

We were in the lower level dining area. The upper level has a lot more sunlight and I think is much nicer. But the lower level, especially with its mood lighting and the artwork on the walls had its own charm.

It is clear in this photograph that I am terrified that Carlos will beat me to a pulp later if he doesn't end up liking the food. Just kidding! Or am I? No really. I'm kidding! ::tremble::

Carlos decided to get a bottle of Tusker, a Kenyan lager. Addis Red Sea didn't have any Ethiopian beers which was a disappointment. I wanted to order some mango juice, which was on the menu but the waitress informed me that none of the juices on the menu, except cranberry juice, were available. Big disappointment! I settled for water.

Carlos and I ordered the #36 Addis Red Sea Special Combo for two people. It consisted of Doro Wot (chicken in a lemon & red pepper sauce), Doro Alcha (chicken in butter, onions and ginger), Lega Tibs (lamb chunks), Zegne (beef stew), Gomen Wot (collard greens) and House Salad (chopped tomatoes in a light dressing). 

They put a plate on the liner and then top it with one big piece of the spongy bread. All of the dishes were in individual serving trays and the waitress delicately dumped the contents of each tray onto different parts of the spongy bread. More bread was available on the side. You take a piece of the bread and pick up the food with it. You eat the meat/vegetable, bread and all. It's quite delicious. Carlos loved the fillings and hated the bread. I loved it all. He was a little too greedy with his chunks of bread so I had to hoard some so we wouldn't run out. Overall, another great experience for me! Carlos was glad to have at least tried Ethiopian food.