Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
A little spice tastes nice - by
Karen Miltner
THE PLACE
Dashen Ethiopian Restaurant and Bar
Before we begin talking about this relatively new Ethiopian eatery, a quick geography lesson to explain the name. At 15,158 feet, Ras Dashen is the highest peak in Ethiopia and the fourth highest in Africa.
THE FOOD
As with Indian cooking, the genius of Ethiopian cuisine lies in the spices. The fun lies in eating it all from a communal platter, with your hands, using a pleasantly sour, spongy, crepe-like bread called injera. (Forks and knives are available for weenies.) Although it's hard to visually decipher one gloppy stew-like concoction from the next, each dish rings unique once it reaches the palate, thanks to a vibrant alphabet of aromatics that include fenugreek, cinnamon, ginger, onions, and, in mostly subtle amounts, chiles. Even an otherwise mundane salad of lettuce, green peppers and sliced tomatoes ($3.50) is rendered extraordinary with Dashen's dashingly spiced house dressing.
Thanks to a liberal use of wine, the beg wat (red lamb stew, $7) had a familiar timbre that would suggest it is a distant cousin to an Italian red sauce, though it had a lot more heat. The beg alicha (a different lamb stew, $7) is akin to a yellow curry dish.
But my favorite dish was the doro wat, ($7) a chicken drumstick and hard-boiled egg that share a thick, peppery, butter-rich sauce... >>more
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Dashen Ethiopian Restaurant and Bar
- by
Maidstone Mulenga
Dashen Ethiopian Restaurant and Bar: When this joint opened in Rochester's South Wedge some three years ago, it was more of an eatery than a bar. Now it's a cool hangout, especially if you want to catch up on global news. A television set at the bar is always tuned to CNN or some other international-news cable channel. Of course, Dashen still offers a variety of rich, spiced dishes from Ethiopia and other parts of Africa.
What to do. If all you want is a taste of real African food, then hunker down at one of the tables of this place named after Mount Dashen, the highest mountain in Ethiopia.
The interior offers a tour of the history of Ethiopia, with several banners and posters highlighting the culture of this nation situated on the Horn of Africa.
If you seek to hear some in-depth analysis of African issues, hop on a bar stool and order a drink. Almost all the stories that are reported on the TV are analyzed by a group of regulars. Sometimes those talking heads at the bar compete somewhat with the talking heads on TV. This, at times, also occurs when there is background music for those dining. (By the way, the entrées on the menu are relatively cheap, with most of the dinners priced around $10.)
What to drink: There is a full bar, and the wine list includes a taste of the Ethiopian variety, Tej, but you have to ask for it because it's not available all the time. Usually the food service is over by 10 p.m., but you can spend another hour or so at the bar... >>more
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