2008 Woodie Awards
Zeni's Ethiopian delights, fair-priced
James Chen
Issue date: 12/1/08 Section: A&E
Ethiopian cuisine's still fairly esoteric here in the Bay Area. Though you can get sashimi, eggplants in bean sauce almost as easily as you can get a burger, getting a mouthful of Injera bread's another thing.
Zeni, of Saratoga Avenue, makes a good case in suggesting that this is a drastic oversight on part of Bay Area foodies.
Though the place was deceptively empty by the time we got there at 5:30 p.m., but if you want to dine at Zeni's, beat the dinner rush. This is, of course, a good sign. A busy restaurant is a well-reputed one - and reputations are built solely on the food offered.
We opted not to eat at the standard Western table settings, but the ethnically themed wicker tables and cushioned stools. It's recommended to do so out of the presentational bonuses alone, as the meals, served in giant plates layered with a large pilaf of injera bread and covered in the various curried meats and vegetables on the menu, look more appetizing.
But the food isn't just presentation. We opted to get the vegetarian sampler, at least to start off with, consisting of smaller versions of five of the vegetarian entrees, a house salad in a tangy, clear sauce, and all the tangy injera bread you can eat.
There are no knives, forks or spoons- Ethiopian cuisine is decidedly finger-food, as you tear off chunks of the injera bread to grab and dip from the communal plate.
The "Ye-Timatim Fitfit" was one of the more popular dishes among the group. Pieces of the sour injera bread blended with tomatoes, onions and green peppers, with Zeni's homemade dressing made for a surprisingly complex flavor. "It didn't taste like I expected it to," said Arthur Chien as he went for another handful.
For the meat lovers, the "Ye-beg Tibs" are strongly recommended: lamb chunks sauteed in herbed butter and seasoned further with onions, green pepper, tomatoes and rosemary. You have the option to have them served fried or "juicy," with the latter being recommended, as the sauce makes otherwise tough lamb as succulent as can be desired.
At this point, we've consumed what seemed like a ton of heavy food. To wash it down, the Ethiopian spiced tea is recommended - a spicy, warm drink especially complementary to the quickly cooling weather, and it comes with a sugar bowl to flavor to taste.
Even with a group of four, we ended up having a fairly large load of leftovers. Not only will a single entree serve everybody, but it also means that the total cost gets divvied up. A fully satisfactory meal for the average college student.
Zeni, of Saratoga Avenue, makes a good case in suggesting that this is a drastic oversight on part of Bay Area foodies.
Though the place was deceptively empty by the time we got there at 5:30 p.m., but if you want to dine at Zeni's, beat the dinner rush. This is, of course, a good sign. A busy restaurant is a well-reputed one - and reputations are built solely on the food offered.
We opted not to eat at the standard Western table settings, but the ethnically themed wicker tables and cushioned stools. It's recommended to do so out of the presentational bonuses alone, as the meals, served in giant plates layered with a large pilaf of injera bread and covered in the various curried meats and vegetables on the menu, look more appetizing.
But the food isn't just presentation. We opted to get the vegetarian sampler, at least to start off with, consisting of smaller versions of five of the vegetarian entrees, a house salad in a tangy, clear sauce, and all the tangy injera bread you can eat.
There are no knives, forks or spoons- Ethiopian cuisine is decidedly finger-food, as you tear off chunks of the injera bread to grab and dip from the communal plate.
The "Ye-Timatim Fitfit" was one of the more popular dishes among the group. Pieces of the sour injera bread blended with tomatoes, onions and green peppers, with Zeni's homemade dressing made for a surprisingly complex flavor. "It didn't taste like I expected it to," said Arthur Chien as he went for another handful.
For the meat lovers, the "Ye-beg Tibs" are strongly recommended: lamb chunks sauteed in herbed butter and seasoned further with onions, green pepper, tomatoes and rosemary. You have the option to have them served fried or "juicy," with the latter being recommended, as the sauce makes otherwise tough lamb as succulent as can be desired.
At this point, we've consumed what seemed like a ton of heavy food. To wash it down, the Ethiopian spiced tea is recommended - a spicy, warm drink especially complementary to the quickly cooling weather, and it comes with a sugar bowl to flavor to taste.
Even with a group of four, we ended up having a fairly large load of leftovers. Not only will a single entree serve everybody, but it also means that the total cost gets divvied up. A fully satisfactory meal for the average college student.
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