The Ethiopian Restaurants of Columbia Pike

Inspired by articles of women-owned restaurants in the area I decided, a while back, to Goldilocks style it and try out three of the Ethiopian restaurants of the Pike, each owned and run by women. The choices were: Dama Pastry and Restaurant (1505 Columbia Pike), Bethel Cafe (3045 Columbia Pike) and Meaza Restaurant (5700 Columbia Pike). A note: Dama and Bethel show up with different names on a Google search -- Ethio and Ayana respectively. The "Greens and Teff" vegan Ethiopian appears to have vanished or merged with Bethel/Ayana (???) In any case, I got a veggie combo at each location and a Sambusa at Bethel and Meaza. Each dish came with roughly the same items -- a salad option (often shredded cabbage), yellow and red lentil mixes, a veg option (potatoes and carrots or a dark greens dish), and cabbage. All offered an extra piece of Injera (wonderfully squishy fermented Ethiopian bread) in addition to the Injera the food was on. Portions were large and very filling. Each restaurant came in at about $20 with tax and tip.

That is where the similarities ended. Dama was the big loser, being the first Ethiopian food I've experienced in my entire life which was outright bland and forgettable. The only item with any kind of seasoning was the salad which had a few slices of jalepenos. That and the impossible parking means it was an automatic "off the list" for me. Meaza came in at a nice comfortable middle. The red lentils were zesty and the rest of the food had solid flavor, like you might have with home cooking. I would imagine this is a good place to take people who don't eat a lot of Ethiopian food. The winner for me was Bethel, a hole in the wall, which had a wide variation of flavors and good variations on the heat levels. Everything seemed hugely fresh and the abundance gave me three meals for the price of one. Bethel also won in the Sambusa category with a nicely flakey outer shell and nose-tingling seasonings on the inside. The Meaza version was surprisingly bready and had distinct lentils but was otherwise "okay". Both were served cold, however, which surprised me. You would never see the Indian version served cold. In any case I know were I'm going next time I want some flame and flavor. Brava, Bethel.

Comments

Afghan Bistro

With family members moving to Springfield, it has been a struggle to find good places to eat so far afield. After flirting with some chain restaurants near the mall, we tried a Pakistani restaurant (there are many, many Pakistani restaurants there), but it fell flat. Finally, someone suggested this amazing place. It's a little hole-in-the-wall in a strip mall. With oilcloth table coverings, the vibe seems questionable. For about a minute. Then you are warmly greeted and given menus with a plethora of choices. My party ordered a great number of items and every dish rose above expectations. The staff are eager to please and checked in to make sure everything was okay, from food to drink needs. When a member of my party dropped a piece of silverware on the floor one of the waiters swooped in with a replacement before we could even ask. But onto the food. We ordered the Potato and Leek turnovers, the Aushak (leek and sc...

First Watch

Meant to invite some family members here but a friend beat me to the punch. We compromised and went together. Unfortunately, this is a place where it looks better than it is. Across the board. The funky design scheme makes it an echo chamber and, with the pumping music, very loud. Conversation was difficult. The menu is covered in glossy photos and descriptions of the food but ... I started with the Morning Meditation Fresh Juice, a pretty blend of citrus and beet. Or I tried to. Took three reminders to the waiter and when it finally arrived, halfway into the meal, it was 90% ice and 10% juice. My companions opted for coffee. It was ice cold. Another long wait (about 20 minutes) to get new coffee -- and included a reminder to staff that they wanted fresh cups as well. I ordered the Vegetarian Quinoa Bowl, which was described as having up to 12 ingredients. It had three. The quinoa, an egg, maybe two teen...

RASA

The popular grain bowl trend gets a twist with this Indian-inspired takeout bowl place. Same concept -- a base, greens, toppings, etc., but the options are mostly Indian inspired and the majority of offerings are vegetarian (although not vegan, given the heavy use of Ghee in cooking). My take is mixed. Some of the items were outstanding, some less so. I got the Lemon Tumeric Rice, which was delightful. Fresh and tangy, with a little bite, it was one of the best rice dishes I've ever tried. On top of this I got the Tofu/Cauliflower protein. It was half and half. The cauliflower was perfectly roasted, the roasted onions delightful, and the nuts were a beautiful added crunch. The tofu, however, was watery, and the green and red peppers well past prime. Next, I added sauteed spinach, which was incredibly bland, and the peanut sesame sauce, which was "okay" but forgettable. I didn't do additional toppings, although there were ...

DCVegEats

Search This Blog