Love's part of the feedback
Rocky Mountain News, CO - Jun 20, 2006
''When Tsehay Hailu says she wants to feed you, she means it literally. Newcomers to Ras Kassa's Ethiopian Restaurant are sometimes startled when she begins their dinner by popping an injera bread-wrapped bite of food directly into their mouths.
"When we eat together (in Ethiopia), we give each other food," said the owner and chef, who is short of stature and possesses a beatific smile (pronounce her name sah-high high-loo).
"You feed the person across from you, and they feed you. It comes from your heart. You're just giving your love and showing that you are thinking of them."
 At her Boulder restaurant, the custom also serves to show neophytes how to eat Ethiopian-style, i.e., without any utensils and always only with the right hand.
"To a lot of people, it is beyond them to think about eating with their fingers," Hailu said.
All the entrees are served at once on a round, injera-covered platter set in a masab, a low-set woven basket table in the cozy dining room. Diners sit around the masab and grab bites of food as they chat and sip Ethiopian beer, African wine or Colorado-made honey wine.
Injera - the spongy, slightly tart flatbread - really defines Ethiopian fare, and servers come around throughout the meal to offer more.
"It's made from teff flour, water and sourdough starter," Hailu said. Teff is a tiny-seeded, highly nutritious grain.
"My sourdough starter is as old as the restaurant," she added, amused at the thought of the 18-year-old substance living in her kitchen. Hailu has been feeding people since 1988, when Ras Kassa's opened as an only-in-Colorado Ethiopian roadhouse near Eldorado Springs before moving to its Boulder location.
Hailu, 47, was born and raised in Addis Ababa and left Ethiopia in 1978, settling first in New Jersey before moving to Colorado in 1983. She and her husband of 24 years, Richard, run the eatery. Two sisters and a brother live in Boulder, with three siblings still residing in Ethiopia.
Remarkably, Hailu had never owned or worked at an eatery before launching Ras Kassa's. "I learned how to cook as a kid at home from my mother and grandmother. You know, it's all about making people happy, and food is the one thing we all need."
While there are several appetizers, including pastry triangles filled with spicy peas, the meal is built around individually spiced lamb, beef and vegetarian stews and stir-fry dishes set on the platter with collard greens and carrot salad.
Yebeg alecha is an enticing stew made with finely chopped lamb. Steak tartare Ethiopian-style is kitfo, chopped beef seasoned with Ethiopian spices. The zestiest entree is sweet-hot metátesh - sweet potatoes simmered with peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger.
The variety of vegetarian preparations doesn't mean there are a lot of Ethiopian vegetarians. "Religion is a factor," Hailu said. "Christians there fast two days every week - Wednesday and Saturday - where they eat no animal products, so there are a lot of vegan dishes."
Ethiopian cooking relies on freshly cooked vegetables and grains "and also a lot of butter," she said. "It's clarified butter that is spiced. We never eat raw butter spread on bread."
Ras Kassa's clientele runs the gamut from CU students and staff to many local families, including children who take naturally to the idea of eating with their fingers. "People come from all over for my cooking. We've even had Swiss and German people."
Since coffee may have been invented in Ethiopia, it's not surprising that it is a ritual part of the meal. "Nobody gets up and walks away from the table. This is the moment when friends and relatives are sitting down chit-chatting. Drinking coffee is a way of saying thank you to the host," she said ..." >>more
VegSource - review
''Ras Kassas' Ethiopian Restaurant on 30th between walnut and pearl in Boulder is the best vegan restaurant ever! it has all kinds of dishes but half the menu is vegetarian and also vegan.
The stew style dishes are served on sponge like bread called injera and you eat with the injera instead of with a fork. very fun and delicious, and the nicest people ever own the restaurant. the restaurant also serves wine and bear from ethiopia and has a full bar.
Definitely try it if you ever go through boulder because it is a great experience.
." >>more
Yahoo! - review
''...
The food is different but just wonderful. The waitstaff knows their stuff and are very helpful in getting you up to speed trying new things and eating with the soft bread insted of flateware. The owners are allways there and willing to talk and laugh with the patrons. I have been coming to Ras Kassa with frinds and family for over 14 years and I will keep coming back. My young kids (4,6,12) love the food too..." >>more
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