Thursday, November 08, 2007

Messob Ethiopian Restaurant - Los Angeles (Little Ethiopia)

After making my way through Los Angeles traffic, with my little box of mini cakes from Kiki Bakery in hand, I met up with my friend E(L) at Messob Ethiopian Restaurant in the heart of LA's Little Ethiopia neighborhood.
Messob Ethiopian Restaurant - Los Angeles (Little Ethiopia) 1
How much do I love that LA has a Little Ethiopia? The inside decor was pretty nice with the straw hut and tables.
Messob Ethiopian Restaurant - Los Angeles (Little Ethiopia) 2
I forgot to charge my camera so photos were taken quickly and sparingly. We ordered a tej (Ethiopian honey wine) for $4.50. Tastes like what it sounds - a honey-sweetened wine.
Messob Ethiopian Restaurant - Los Angeles (Little Ethiopia) 3
We ordered a veggie and meat combo. The injera (Ethiopian bread from fermented teff flour) is key to my enjoyment of Ethiopian food. At Messob, the injera wasn't too sour and was lightly spongy.
Messob Ethiopian Restaurant - Los Angeles (Little Ethiopia) 4
Ethiopian cuisine is eaten with the hands. Tear a strip of injera and wrap it around various veggies and stews. The $14.99 vegetarian combo included yatakilt alitcha (Ethiopian steamed vegetables with onions, garlic, and ginger), yemiser wot (Ethiopian split lentils in red pepper sauce and spices), collard greens steamed and seasoned with garlic and chilies, pumpkin, salad, tomato fit-fit (Ethiopian shredded and spiced injera).
Messob Ethiopian Restaurant - Los Angeles (Little Ethiopia) 5
The $13.99 three-meat combo included doro wot (Ethiopian chicken stewed in pepper sauce with spices), siga wot (Ethiopian beef braised in red pepper sauce with assorted spices), and yebeg siga alitcha (Ethiopian lamb stew with garlic, ginger, and spices). I think the wots could have been a little bolder, more spices, but overall were very good.
Messob Ethiopian Restaurant - Los Angeles (Little Ethiopia) 6
The baklava came free with the vegetarian combo.
Messob Ethiopian Restaurant - Los Angeles (Little Ethiopia) 7
If you've never had Ethiopian food before, do try. Messob Ethiopian Restaurant 1041 S. Fairfax Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90019 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. 323-938-8827 10% off Monday to Thursday with website coupon
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5 comments:

  1. HoustonWokNovember 11, 2009 at 10:17 AM

    Hmm,once I get over the fear of the unknown, I agree that this looks like it could be quite delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  2. EatTravelEatNovember 11, 2009 at 10:41 AM

    This looks quite interesting! I never knew LA had a little Ethiopia. Did know about Koreantown, Little Tokyo, and Thai (?) but not Little Ethiopia!

    And do I see an Obama poster in a storefront two doors away? Can't help but notice.

    I hate it when I forget to take out my battery to charge on my camera, as usually the battery life is so long, I don't charge it very often. Thanks to your post one my of cameras goes off to the charger now :).

    ReplyDelete
  3. weezermonkeyNovember 11, 2009 at 12:07 PM

    Mmm. It's been ages since I've had Ethiopian. I love injera, too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. JustinMNovember 11, 2009 at 12:16 PM

    Beautiful. I took my good friend there a couple years ago because she'd never had Ethiopian food. (I'd only had it once in New York and loved it.) It was a great meal.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wandering ChopsticksNovember 12, 2009 at 11:24 AM

    David,
    If you like Indian food, I think you'd like this.

    ETE,
    There are so many ethnic neighborhoods in LA. I love it. Yeah, the Change poster is from a picture I took on a later visit to Little Ethiopia since I was out of batteries the first time.

    Did I post about a backup batter? I can't remember?

    Weezer Monkey,
    We'll have to go sometime. HC and I are planning to hit up Meals by Genet at some point.

    Pulled Porker,
    I really enjoyed my meal here, but want to try some other restaurants along the street for comparison.

    ReplyDelete

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