Episode IV: Ethiopian

Day 4: Today we began the African portion of our culinary adventure by dining at Fasika, an Ethiopian restaurant near University and Snelling.  Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by three signs proclaiming this eatery to be one of the Twin Cities finest Ethiopian restaurants.  Needless to say, expectations were high.  The menus did not disappoint, as each dish included a description of the meal, in English and in Amharic.  Not everything was translated though, as the first meal Christina ordered turned out to be raw beef... which the waitress said she could only try during a future visit, once she'd experience something else.  The waitress highly recommended she get the beef tips instead, which she did.  Zack continued his recent lamb theme by ordering the lamb tips.

CP3 and the Ethiopian brews.

C and Z were pretty amped about ordering two of Ethiopia's finest imported beers.  Zack ordered "Harar" which he described as being pretty hoppy, but overall worth getting again.  The consensus was that Christina's choice of "Meta" was superior, describing it as "just lovely."

C looking fairly skeptical of the beef tips.

The food was brought out on giant plates, with both dishes being served over flatbread.  The lamb tips came out with the flatbread and salad, while Christina's beef tips came out on a fajita like skillet, which did nothing but raise expectations further.  Unfortunately, the beef turned out to be a bit overcooked and "vealish."  The lamb tips were well spiced and pretty darn tasty.  Both meals were much spicier than anticipated, with onions, tomatoes, and a small type of pepper that C and Z could not determine to be Okra or Jalapeno.  Either way, they were pretty spicy.

Z's lamb tips.

Overall the Ethiopian experience was very enjoyable.  Though the beef tips did not live up to expectation, the consensus is that Fasika is a place that should be eaten at again... possibly 29 restaurants from now.

Ethiopian food brought happiness to our own St. Paul/Minneapolis.