African Cuisine
Gary’s nephew and his new bride, Almaz, were in town yesterday on their way to San Angelo. And since Almaz is Ethiopian and the happy couple have purchased a one-way ticket back in January, we took them out for Ethiopian food last night. After reading some reviews, we opted for a restaurant called “Ibex” (I found a great discount for Ibex from restaurant.com—check it out). Following dinner we made a drive-through of Dallas’ über-rich Highland Park with its amazing Christmas lights.
The restaurant sits on the ground floor of what looks like a plain office building on Greenville, barely north of Forest Lane. But inside we found a nice atmosphere with pleasant Ethiopian music playing loud enough for Almaz to understand the lyrics but low enough that we could talk without feeling like we had to talk over anything.
Fortunately we had Almaz to order for us, but that also means I’m not totally sure of all the choices on our combo dish for five. I can say only that it came with compartments of sauces, salads, and beef tips (everyone’s fave) along with a perfectly cooked chicken thigh. It also contained the traditional hard-boiled egg in red wot. Everything lay on a base of injera, the spongy-bread staple of the Horn of Africa. Carefully rolled and laying atop the smorgasbord were eight rolled-up injera pancakes so we could each tear off pieces to sop and scoop our food. The less experienced of us required two hands. Apparently the pro’s do it all with their right hand only—which Rob and his bride proceeded to do. I wiped my messy mitts frequently on napkins; they had the self-control to wait till they’d finished eating to clean up.
We had our choice of the usual square restaurant table or the beautiful Ethiopian Messob table, which is weaved and where traditional meals in Ethiopia are served. Of course we opted for the full experience. The top lid was removed and our waitress brought our large, round tray of food and placed it in the middle so we could sit around and eat “family style.” This setup is much more conducive to intimate conversation. But then, Ethiopian food, with its oversized platters, is made for socializing.
The service was excellent till we needed our bill. Then it took four requests and two get-up-and-asks before we could depart. So I recommend it, but if you go, make sure you have nothing else on your agenda for the night.
Ibex Dallas
1255 Greenville Ave. Dallas