i know i know. i haven't written in almost one week. things have been hectic with being at work only 2 full days, and then driving to nyc to see the drowsy chaperone (which was very entertaining and comical) with cavin's family.

after the show, we took the f speeding rocket elevator up to the top floor of the marriot marquis hotel to the view restaurant, which is touted as "nyc's only revolving rooftop restaurant featuring ny state cuisine and wines." it moves very slowly - so slowly that we thought that it wasn't moving at all, but as we sat there, we finally noticed that our nyc skyline scenery was ever-changing. i'm not sure we made it all the way around back to where we started, but it was neat to be so high up and moving around and not get sick. haha.

while cavin went to work on friday, i took the train down to new brunswick. i haven't been there in a while, so since we didn't really have any plans, other than trying to meet up with my friend, sojin, we decided we would stay at the new brunswick hyatt, have an ethopian dinner at makeda, and then make our way down to the wich.

i had gone to makeda several times while in grad school. i always enjoyed the dark atmosphere, as well as eating with my hands, so i was excited to make it back there. the menu changed a bit since the last time we were there, but not terribly. we ended up ordering the "best of the best" sampler platter which allows the diners to taste almost everything on the menu. ($51, meant to be shared between 2 people. not bad!)

we started the night with an appetizer: zaalouk (diced eggplant pan fried in virgin olive oil with a blend of garlic, ginger, chopped parsley and cumin with a hint of lemon). the eggplant was served warm, on top of chopped romaine lettuce, which was, in essence a salad we had before our main course. (for the appetizer, the waitress brought out forks for us to use.)

as i mentioned before, ethiopian food is meant to be eaten with your hands. a spongy, tangy bread (similar to a crepe, but more spongy and soft), called injera is served with the meal and is used to scoop up the food. our meal came out on a large oval platter, with many dishes scattered on it, with the injera folded up on the sides.

there are two best of the best samplers: meat and seafood. cavin and i decided on the meat, though we did end up with some shrimp as well. here's what we got on our serving dish:

1. tibs wat (sauteed prime beef simmered in kaywat, and seasoned with specials ethiopian spices and as touch of salt and fine white pepper)

2. doro alecha (chicken legs and thighs seasoned with ginger, rosemary and jalapeno peppers and simmered in a hearty ethiopian herb reduction sauce)

3. doro wat (chicken legs and thighs marinated in lemon juice, then sauteed in butter and seasoned with garlic, fresh ginger and fenugreek, then coated with berbere sauce and cooked gently until tender)

4. beg alecha (tender pieces of lamb braised slowly in green pepper, flavored with an Ethiopian herb, reduction sauce, ginger, rosemary and a touch of jalapeno pepper)

5. shrimp tibs (shrimp marinated in honey wine, rosemary and awaze sauce, then pan fried with hot peppers, onions and greens)

6. kitfo (finely chopped tenderloin of beef seasoned with an Ethiopian herb reduction sauce and "mitmita", a fine powder of chili pepper and red pepper)

7. atakilt wat (fresh green beans, carrots potatoes, green peppers, cabbage and onions, sauteed with garlic, ginger and tomatoes)

8. kik alicha (yellow split peas cooked and flavored with green pepper, onion and ethiopian herbs)

9. gomen wat (fresh collard greens sauteed with fine onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and ethiopian spices)

10. mesir wat (lentils cooked with chopped onions, garlic, ginger, olive oil and mild berbere sauce)

afterwards, at the wich, cavin and i were discussing makeda. i think that makeda has slipped since the last time we were there. we distinctly remembered makeda being so much better a few years ago. this time around, the ends of the injera were too thin, so they hardened to a crust on the edges, while it was too thick in the middle. i really didn't care for the lamb, and i was expecting some of the dishes to have a little bit more heat. we had to order our wine three times until the we finally picked something that they actually had (we ended up with a new zealand shiraz the waitress pointed us towards, which she knew they had at the bar).

that being said, we still had a good time at makeda. the food was still pretty good, just not as great as in the past. our waitress was very gracious enough to only charge us for one drink, and she comped our appetizer. (i'm not sure if she comped us, or if she just totally forgot.) our total bill came to a measly $62 (expensive for ethopian food, but not expensive for makeda). when she delivered the bill to us, out of nowhere she said, "so! when will i see you again?" i don't know if she had some sixth sense which told her that we were decent tippers and had loot to spend, but it was wacky!

we told her that we wouldn't be back soon and that we now lived in dc. as soon as we said that though, she immediately told us the best ethopian restaurant in dc was dukem in the u street area. it's in our fortune to try a new restaurant this week, so maybe we'll have to get on the green line going the other direction and make sure to stop by.

makeda ethopian restaurant
338 george street
new brunswick, nj
732.545.5115

Labels: beef, chicken, restaurant