Not long ago Heather wrote that she wanted to make 2011 the year of the “at home tourist.” She was stoked when I told her I was “in” on the idea, but that was only because she didn’t realize that, in addition to accompanying her to girlie tourist stops like beaches and shopping districts, I was going to make her go to some guy’s tourist stops too!
One of the neat things about Los Angeles is the tremendous diversity of people, and pretty much every ethnic group has its own “town.” There’s Chinatown, Japan Town, Korea Town, Thai Town, Filipino Town, Little Armenia, Little Persia, Little India… the list goes on and on. I’ve pretty much visited and ate a meal in all of them over the years except for one – Little Ethiopia.
Why you may ask? Well, when I was younger I never went because, whenever any of my friends suggested we eat there, someone would make a stupid joke like, “Ethiopian food? What do they serve you there? An empty plate?” Unfortunately, by the time I matured and realized that Ethiopia had an amazingly complex cuisine, I had moved across town and could never muster the courage to fight L.A. traffic for an hour or more each way. That all changed, however, with the year of the “at home tourist!”
Heather, Annie, and I began our excursion by walking along the many stores and markets on Fairfax Avenue that sell items unique to Ethiopia, then slipped into an Ethiopian restaurant not far away called Awash. The first thing that hit us was the overwhelming smell of different spices and flavors. The second was the decor which was made up of cool African Art like the this:
And this:
Our waitress was very kind and warned us upon sitting down that the portions were very large, so we ended up ordering two items – Zilzil Tibbs and the Vegetarian Combo.
Annie and I were very excited:
Finally the food came and I found out the coolest thing about the food – you eat it with your hands!!! (Heather was less pleased.)
Actually, the eating with your hands part isn’t totally true. You use this delicious spongy bread to pick up your meal. Annie was wary of the bread at first:
Then found it delish!
The vegetarian plate soon arrived and it was amazing.
It came on a bed of the before-mentioned bread, and had seven different types of vegetarian delights: hot peppers stuffed with tomatoes and onions, a Mediterranean style salad, sauteed spinach, creamed corn, and four very interesting curry-like delights made of lentils and yellow split peas – one made of veggies, one that tasted like Japanese wasabi (!), and two that would be at home in an Indian restaurant. Really, if you are vegetarian, Ethiopian food would be great for you.
But that’s not to say that meat eaters won’t be happy.
Our second dish – the Zilzil Tibbs – was equally as delicious. If you like your meat well done and very flavorful, this is your meal.
All in all we had a great trip to Little Ethiopia even if Heather had to bust out her pack of wipes to clean up Annie, and okay, me, too!
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
OMG, that looks yumm-O!! I need to get my family to little Ehiopia for food ASAP!
YUM! That food looks so good! You all are lucky to live in such a diverse city! I need to visit LA some day!
Oh you’ve made me miss my Ethiopian restaurants in DC with its large Ethiopian (and Eritrean) population. Yum yum yum. I LOVE Ethiopian food.
Jennifer´s last [type] ..Bring on the falafel!
I remember taking my parents to an Ethiopian restaurant in Amsterdam. My father was so upset about the ‘eating with your hands’ that he totally abandoned his manners and had food all over his face and up to his elbows! Still think he enjoyed it though.
Hooray for Annie for being an adventurous eater!
What a great post, Mike, and gosh,,,does that sound like fun to “play tourist” in your own nearby communities. I think that you, Heather, and Annie are going to have some really fun outings to look forward to in 2011!!!!
P.S. By the way; the vegetarian plate looked scrumptious! Oh; and I can’t wait to see where you go next tine!
That place looks wonderful! I’ve never tried Ethiopian food, but now I really want to. Your “at home tourist” idea is a great one!
Abby´s last [type] ..Broiled Grapefruit
An Ethopian place opened up right by our old house in Cincinnati (of all random places) and it was really good! The spongey bread I couldn’t quite get on board with, but it was a texture thing, not taste for me. Delicious!
What a neat experience. I think the eating with your fingers thing would have had me a little wary too! It looks delicious. We have an Ethiopian place here in town that we might need to try now.
Lisa´s last [type] ..Tiny Pitter-Patters
DC has the largest Ethiopian population in the US, so there are tons of AMAZING restaurants here. The big mistake the first time I went was going overboard on the spongy bread—that stuff expands in your stomache!
I used to work at an Ethiopian restaurant in Baltimore, it was amazing!!! Unfortunately we now live in a small town, with no ethiopian within about a 4 hour range… but your post totally made me want to make sure we schedule a trip next time we go home!!!
I tried Ethiopian food once a few years ago when visiting DC and while I thought it looked and smelled great, I couldn’t get past the texture and taste of that spongy bread. If I hadn’t had to use that to eat the rest…maybe I would have liked it…but the bread ruined it for me. Glad you enjoyed it though!
Jen @ lifelove’n'wine´s last [type] ..Oh My God
Oh good Lord that looks so delicious! Can I come visit you guys and you all can be my (and my family) tour guide?
Rebecca´s last [type] ..Lets Just Call Him
I’m trying Ethiopian food in Toronto in two weeks… first time, my sister insists I will love it.
Have fun with your touring!
Heather´s last [type] ..Ouch
Wow, great job exploring your city!!! Hats off to you three and a great way to expose Annie to an array of different flavors and foods that she wouldn’t normally get at home! Good job! That food looks amazing! I feel like I can almost smell its delish-ness!
Ethiopian food has been high on our list of must-try, but we have yet to make the trek, too.
You know, I bet you’d like this place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Jurassic_Technology It’s one of Brent’s fav at-home spots.
Looks delicious! Love love Annie’s faces! She’s so funny! Thanks for sharing!
Way to get all Anthony Bourdain-y Mike! Good stuff.
I LOVE Ethiopian food. A vegetarian friend dragged me to one in Tempe, Arizona years ago and I miss it now that I’m in Kansas. I am not even an adventurous person when it comes to cuisine but Ethiopian? Any day of the week.
God, I’m hungry now!
I love Ethiopian food! I ended up at an Ethiopian restaurant with a friend after viewing a taping of the Craig Ferguson and have loved it ever since. Another ethnic cuisine that is quite similar is Eritrean food (which we’d eat in Sonoma often). Either way, food exploration is always a great idea!
If you go to Little Tokyo, I recommend Mr. Ramen. Authentic ramen is heavenly!!!
LOVE Ethiopian food!! Those pictures you posted have me totally jonesing for a visit to a local restaurant (well, not so local — about an hour away)! The picture of Annie with the injera (bread) is absolutely precious (every picture of that child is precious)! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you all tried this! We adopted our son from Ethiopia, so it is important to me for that reason, but also because it is simply delicious! Our closest Ethiopian restaurants are a 2-hour drive, so we have learned to make some of the dishes at home, including the injera (the spongy bread), which takes several days of pre-planning, as it is a sourdough. So worth it, though. My son has always loved it like Annie does.
For those who notice the similarity between Ethiopian and Eritrean food, I have not had the pleasure of visiting an Eritrean restaurant, but I am sure the food must be quite similar, as Eritrea was once a part of Ethiopia, up until the 1990′s, actually. I’d be really interested to know what the differences are between these 2 cuisines.
Good for you for exposing Annie to different foods! I know that kids at a certain age do naturally start getting more picky because they are asserting their independence and developing tastes of their own and all that, but I’m also convinced that lots of people make their kids picky eaters by not giving them the right opportunities and assuming that the kids will not like certain things. In lots of places (including Ethiopia) kids are given spicy things because that is what everyone else eats, and they do too!
Oh I love Ethiopian food! It was on my 101 in 1001 a few years ago and my husband surprised me with a meal out. I’ll have to make sure we hit our local restaurant up again shortly.
I wonder how confusing V would find it, we’re usually telling her to eat with her fork *g*
Why does comment luv not love me on your site?
There is an Eritrean restaurant very close to where I live and the food is indeed very similar, and of course moutwateringly delicious. I can’t wait to have my son try all different types of ethnic food.
My father grew up in South Africa so he has had the privilege of eating all that yummy food growing up!!
Oh gosh! We loved Ethiopian food at a restaurant we used to go to near Duke univ when my husband was a student. Now we live in orange county and going up to little Ethiopia is two projects: one to figure out where and then the other to go: which would be practically an all day trip with a preschooler in tow. So, you have deprived us of the first project! Thanks!!
Deprived? Dang autocorrect. I swear I typed relieved.
I love it. If you have a turkish resturant in the area try doner kapba and currywurst. Amazing!
Love the decor. Looks like all enjoyed.
Looks yummy!
Is there a Little New Zealand in LA? I would be so curious to know what was on the menu!
Sounds like a cool restaurant. I can’t wait to see the other places this year brings you, with the “tourist at home” challenge. =o)
Everything looks DELISH! Glad you guys had a great time.
love that neighborhood — i’ve been to all of the restaurants there, and recommend messob … SO FREAKING DELICIOUS.
I LOVE Ethiopian food! And the portions are incredible. I went to a place in Ohio with friends during a conference a few years ago & we loved sharing everything. And the bread, seriously! Plus I’m a vegetarian & you’re right, great options! Glad to hear you guys gave it a try.
so jealous! we love to try different kinds of food. we’ve tried all the ethiopian places in our city (all 2 of them!), and we’ve not been happy with either. kinda makes us feel like we’ve failed… maybe we need to broaden our horizons!