Vegan MoFo 2012, Ethiopian Food and Fiona Apple

Friday night I had the distinct pleasure of meeting friends for a delicious meal at Mesob Ethiopian restaurant in Montclair, NJ.

Later that night, there was more fun in store when we saw my favorite (vegan) Apple, Fiona, in concert at the Wellmont Theater.

Mesob serves their vegetable entrees "vegan style," as is custom for (most) Ethiopian restaurants.  But to go a step further, they also plainly state their vegan efforts on the menu, "All vegetable entrees are prepared vegan style; no animal products or by-products are used.  All entries are also gluten-free."  

word

The seemingly freezing temperatures serving as a reminder, I finally remembered to order their Ethiopian tea; it really hit the spot.

Mesob's food is the lightest, cleanest, least oily Ethiopian food I've ever eaten.  I also like that they make a ceremony of serving.  First, a platter with just injera is placed before you.

Then, each of the table's selections arrive in individual bowls and are served one by one- with an explanation of each.

My choices, starting top left:

• dinich wat: potatoes simmered in a spicy sauce seasoned with spices and herbs.  I can't pass up potatoes, but I should remember that the sauce is very similar to the mesir and only order one.
• buticha: chick peas pureed and chilled and seasoned with red onions, garlic, jalapeño pepper, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and spices (served cold).  This dish is so unique and yummy; I urge you not to skip it.
• mesir wat: split lentils simmered in spicy hot sauce.  Rich and delicious, but not spicy.
• shiro: pureed split and chick peas cooked with red onion and garlic.  The chick peas really add a nice element to their version of shiro.
• gomen: fresh collard greens simmered in mild sauce and seasoned with spices and herbs.  The garlic in Mesob's gomen is a nice touch.
• azifa: lentil salad seasoned with red onions, garlic, jalapeño peppers, olive oil, lemon juice, herbs and spices (served cold).  These lentils can get away from you!  Lucky for me, I had a spoon from my tea at my disposal.

You'd think all of this would have been enough...and it was.  But I could not resist supporting the restaurant in their newest endeavor: vegan dessert!!

I was too full to partake right after dinner, so I took a sampler of their beautiful vegan chocolates home.  I have to admit that I was a little startled by how small these chocolates were, but what they lacked in size they made up for in divinity.

They all had a creamy, rich center surrounded by a hard chocolate shell.  The flavors were subtle, but distinct.

• The one shaped like a cup was Ethiopian coffee: a miniature cup of Ethiopian coffee in dark Belgian coffee.  VM and I both loved this one- both for it's adorableness and taste.  
• The one with the gold decoration was Kemen Shai: dark chocolate ganache infused with dried ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and black East African tea and enrobed in dark Belgian chocolate.  I think this was my favorite and VM really liked it too.
• The pink-decorated was Berbere: dark chocolate ganache infused with berbere spices covered in dark Belgian chocolate.  I wouldn't order this flavor on purpose, but because the chocolates were so good, it was still enjoyed even though it wasn't a favorite.  VM liked it better than I, saying it reminded her of a certain Mexican hot chocolate donut.  
• And the white was the Hibiscus: dark chocolate ganache infused with Kerkede shai (hibiscus tea) and topped with a piece of hibiscus.  We didn't see any indication of a "piece of hibiscus", nor did this chocolate taste at all flowery.  Instead, it was the mildest of the bunch yet delicious in and of itself.

A wonderful evening of friends, food,

and music.

Not a bad way to have kicked off the weekend.

Mesob Ethiopian, NJ

I recently had the opportunity to visit Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant in Montclair, NJ.  Mesob has been on my radar for some time because their website and printed menus both clearly indicate that their vegetarian selections are prepared "vegan style".  While the vegetarian selections at most Ethiopian restaurants are or can be prepared vegan, it's reassuring to see the word used in print so definitively: especially by an otherwise omnivorous restaurant.

The food: As an appetizer I had my first ever Ethiopian sambussa: kind of an African version of a samosa, it's smaller, flatter, and filled with lentils and onions instead of peas and potatoes.  While samosas are still my favorite, sambussas are now more than welcome on my plate, as well.  I also shared my dining companion's Timatim Fitfit, a cold "salad" consisting of torn injera pieces mixed with tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeno pepper, olive oil, lemon juice & spices.  I don't usually like Fitfit because it is generally soggy, but this was very good and not mushy in the least.

For dinner we both chose to go big or go home a six vegetable sampler in order to try an assortment of dishes between the two of us.  Not that it was a competition, but I would like to point out that I was the only diner who was able to finish every crumb of the meal!

I chose (clockwise from top):
Miser Wat: split lentils in spicy sauce.  This had a very pleasant sweet and spicy taste to it and was my favorite selection.
Gomen: mild collard greens.  A little too mild for me, and missing the onions and tomatoes that I'm used to as being part of the dish.
Atkilt Wat: mild green beans and carrots.  Also very mild, but the beans in particular tasted surprisingly fresh rather than frozen.
Spicy potato dish that I can't remember the name of: tasted similar to the Miser Wat, but with potatoes!
Azifa: cold lentil salad with onions, garlic, jalapenos, olive oil, lemon juice, herbs & spices.  This one was hard to eat, as the lentils seemed to be on the loose!  I'm used to this being served in a thicker "sauce".
Shimbra Asa! Chickpea Cakes: I can't recall the exact name of this dish either.  It tasted similar to the Miser Wat, but with "chickpea cakes".  While I was expecting something along the lines of mini-chickpea pancakes or croquettes, the actual "cakes" were more similar to thick, toasted pita cubes. I didn't really like them, but inexplicably ate every last one simply because the sauce was so tasty.

My fellow vegan diner chose (clockwise from top left):
Miser Wat
Tikile Gomen: cabbage and potatoes in mild sauce
Spicy potato dish
Azifa
Ingudai Tibs: marinated portabello mushrooms sauteed with onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, herbs & spices.  I suspect this is on the menu in an effort for the "vegetarian steak" to replicate one of the many meaty Tibs selections.  Although tasty, my dining companion was adamant that it missed the mark by not coming across as an authentic Ethiopian ingredient.  While it was prepared nicely (not rubbery like some portobello dishes), I agree that it did not mesh well with the other offerings.
Butcha: cold, crushed chick peas seasoned like the Azifa.  Although simple, I thought this was much tastier than the Azifa; it was easily my second favorite dish of the evening (even though it looked like chopped egg yolk).

Mesob's serving style was different than I've ever experienced at any other Ethiopian restaurant.  Instead of serving the dishes "assembled" (as seen here), a plate with plain injera was placed in front of each of us.  Then, the server proceeded to spoon each selection onto our plates from small, individual serving bowls.  I felt that it was a nice deviation from the norm and made the presentation of the meal more unique and quite ritualistic; it was a very nice touch.

The restaurant is decorated in typical Ethiopian style and it is large, but fills up quickly. The service we experienced was warm, friendly, and unobtrusive.  Even though every table was taken, we were never made to feel rushed.

One more thing, I do want to note that the photos are a bit deceiving; the portions were much more generous than they appear.  Overall, make your way over to Mesob and/or any other Ethiopian restaurant you can find.  The food is delicious, nutritious, vegan-friendly, and a nice addition to your doubtless ethnically varied, vegan-friendly repertoire.