Foodie Asshole

I went with a vegetarian friend to Blue Nile and got the "JP Veggie Combo (choose 4 dishes) for two ($20).

Injera

I think it's so funny how white people always feel the need to fawn over injera and assert how much they love it. I mean, sure, I love having a large material with which to scoop up good stuff into mini burrito-like situations, but the particular material in the case of Ethiopian food is all but flavorless, the thin spongelike carb of the country known for death by starvation. It is nice that it soaks the juices of the food up, but still, it doesn't actually taste good itself.

Sambosa: Lentil, Spinach or Beef seasoned and wrapped in thin dough deep-fried to a crisp. We had the lentil, and it was delicious. I was very happy about all that fresh cilantro it came with.

1 o'clock: Yekik Alicha: Split yellow peas simmered in red onion, olive oil, garlic and ginger and seasoned with turmeric. 2 o'clock: Misir Wet: Split red lentils cooked in spicy hot berbere sauce seasoned with ginger, garlic and cardamom. 3 o'clock: Gomen Wet: Chopped collard greens cooked with onions and peppers, herbs and spices. 5 o'clock: Yatakilt Wet: Fresh vegetables (carrots, string beans, potatoes and fresh chills) sautéed with caramelized onion, ginger and garlic. 6 o'clock: ditto 1 8 o'clock: ditto 5 9:30: ditto 3 11 o'clock: ditto 1 Middle: some beet salad they threw in

When the lady who served us saw me taking pictures, she said, "You should have told me you were going to take pictures! I would've made it look prettier!"  But the whole point (for me) is to show you good folks what you can expect it be served, not what photographers and critics will be served.

We got a meat combo. Starting at 9 o'clock: Tibs Fir Fir - Tasty, but you don't really need a dish with a bunch of injera in it since you already have so much injera around 12 o'clock: Key Wet - The sauce was good, but it's cubes of beef, which means they were slightly tough as cubes always are. 3 o'clock: Kofito - Minced beef with stuff, we ordered it rare as possible, which was a slight misstep. I'd order it one level more cooked than that next time. 6 o'clock (well, 5:30, really): Doro Wet - This was the clear winner. It's a leg of chicken, slow-cooked in dark, rich, chili sauce.

Doro Wet, Ali Wet and Veggies 6-11 Success! The only thing is, if you want spicy, make sure you look them in the eye and say, "No really, I want spicy."