By Trinh Bui
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
If you’re interested in something different, it is a safe
bet that Rosalind’s Ethiopian restaurant is a place for you.
Rosalind’s makes up part of the large African restaurant
presence on south Fairfax Avenue. The quaint eatery has something
for the adventurous and something for the homebody.
Snuggled between two other African restaurants, Rosalind’s
offers a welcoming environment for their patrons. If you’re
new to African food, the helpful waitresses, dressed in colorful
linen wraps and bangle jewelry, will assist you with the menu. If
you know what you’re doing, go ahead and survey the wide
array of dishes available for the palate.
The traditional meal highlights “wot” dishes, which
are essentially stews of different meats or vegetables served in
bowls for consumption with Injera bread.
Injera is a great way to use food as utensils. Though
Rosalind’s will provide forks and spoons, customers are
encouraged to eat with Injera, scooping up the meats and veggies
with the flat bread.
Four wots and a vegetable dish comprise the main course. The
food comes all at once, giving patrons the chance to sample
everything at the same time.
The restaurant packs the table with large portions of Ethiopian
fare. Sigar Wot, beef stew, Yebegi Alicha Wot, lamb stew, ($6.95
each) and Yedoro Elt Wot, chicken stew, ($8.75) make up some of the
meat dish choices while Yatk Elt Wot, a potato and cabbage dish,
and Goman, collard greens, ($4.50 each) serve as the vegetable
portions for the night. On the side, a large plate of spongy Injera
is served, cut into long strips.
The trick to eating Ethiopian food traditionally isn’t
tricky at all. Simply take a strip of Injera, rip a piece of the
bread and place between your finger and thumb and scoop the food
from the desired pot of stew.
The first taste of Injera will take you back. It’s a very
sour bread. Eaten alone, Injera will get unpleasant very quickly,
but soaked in the earth-toned sauces of the meat dishes, that is
another story.
The acerbic quality of the bread mixed with the thick and spicy
sauce makes for a unique taste overload. Add to that the tender
softness of the meat and you wind up with empty bowls and
plates.
The Sigar Wot is a spicy concoction of peppers and generous
portions of beef. Eat it slowly and with a cold bottle of Harer,
Ethiopian beer ($4).
You can also extinguish the flames of the meat dishes with a
dollop of Yatk Elt. The boiled potato and cabbage offers a slightly
sweet and mushy foil to the piquant stew.
Tastes were boisterous but never overpowering. The chicken wot
was especially tasty. The meat fell easily from the bone and was
simply a succulent feast for the senses.
Arrive early or expect to wait for a table as the restaurant
gets busy during peak dinner hours. If it is a nice summer evening
ask to eat out on the patio and enjoy a peaceful meal amidst the
bustle of Fairfax.