THE PORTLAND TRIBUNE
Taste bud tour needs no passport
Ethiopian cuisine goes big on spices, spongy bread and hearty legumes-by Brooke Denisco
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Africa has as many cuisines as it does languages, but immigration patterns, accessibility to ingredients and the fancies of the American palate have made Ethiopian food synonymous with African food in the Northwest.
Most of Portland's Ethiopian restaurants have more similarities than differences: extremely friendly staff, optional use of silverware and the round, spongy bread that acts as both plate and side dish. Ethiopian bread has several different names -- biddeena, injera and enjera -- but they all mean about the same thing. The common denominator is the shape and size (somewhere between a pancake and a tortilla) and the main ingredient, teff, a grain prized for its nutritional content grown in various regions of Ethiopia and Eritrea...
The menu is divided into a series of combinations -- meat, vegetarian and mixed. The veggie menu is the best, built around hearty legumes such as lentils spiced assertively with cayenne, ginger, garlic, curry and cumin, then lightened up by cold salads and cottage cheese. The meat and chicken dishes are unnecessary. The flavors are absorbed better in the vegetarian fare, and too often unwelcome gristle isn't removed from the meat.
The drink menu encourages the expat atmosphere with cocktails such as honey-sweetened mead (to calm the palate) and Jarra's iced tea made with Amaretto and Pimm's..." >>more
THE PORTLAND MERCURY
Taste bud tour needs no passport
Ethiopian cuisine goes big on spices, spongy bread and hearty legumes-by Brooke Denisco
'' Much like the Holy Grail, the best Ethiopian restaurants can be hard to find. But drink from these cups of life and find yourself renewed.
Jarra's is one of Portland's most famous Ethiopian restaurants, yet all of the reviews posted on their wall are from 1983 or 1991. Well, my modern day opinion is that their food is quite good, the service couldn't be friendlier, and they have a bar! Combination plates are big enough for two meals, and run about $12. Choose Jarra's if you're in the mood for meat, their succulent lamb is served on the bone, and the marinated beef is tantalizing, served in a dense salty bouillon. This is also the Ethiopian joint to hit if you want your food spicy, as you can order it in varying levels of heat. My only complaint is that I prefer the Injera to be on the sour side, and Jarra's variety is virtually tasteless; although to some, that's a perk. KS
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