I got to meet my first fellow ETS forum member in person yesterday!

unimogbert

We had a fun chat when I stopped by his place to pick up some books he so graciously offered to me. Very nice guy - but I couldn't convince him to go out to the restaurant to try Ethiopian food with me and my daughter. That may have been a good or bad decision on his part, hard to say. It was my first time with this cuisine. I can easily imagine it being something you like, or you hate. Probably not much middle ground.

But it was really fun to be able to meet another ETS'er in person!

I'm grateful for the email, phone, and forum contacts I've had with other ETS'ers. Looking forward to my first face-to-face contact sometime.

It's great to put a face with the screen name! So far I have only met one ETS'er but it was fun. How was the Ethiopian food? I love it but I always want to sneak some flatware in with me (traditionally you eat everything with your hands).

I really enjoyed meeting my first ETSer. We should have a convention sometime....

I'm glad the books found a good home.
Haertig is my first ETS'er as well.

Not sure how a convention would work.

Maybe a regional tarp campout with a challenge of bugging out for 20 miles to get there???

I can attest to the fact that unimogbert is in good enough physical shape to make that trek with ease. Me, not so much.

I think we must have looked pitiful enough that they just gave us forks to start with, figuring we'd never make it eating the traditional way. We also sat in the big chairs at a regular table. They had really short chairs in the back part of the restaurant, which I assume is the traditional Ethiopian dining style.

The food was good. Not my favorite ethnic food, but I'd certainly go for it again.

Here's what we had (ate family style - shared the various dishes):

Sambussa (lentils and pastry)
Lamb Tibs (lamb with peppers, onions, tomato)
Lamb Alicha (lamb with seasonings)
Engudai Tibs (mushrooms)
Atkilt Wot (cabbage)
Yemisir Wot (lentils)
Yekik Alicha (peas)
Gomen (collard greens)
Fosolia (green beans and carrots)
Salad (greens, tomatoes, onions)

I thought I remembered some squash dish too, but I'm not sure about that.

They had the most unusual bread. A very soft spongy texture, full of little holes, like a baby swiss cheese. Very mild in flavor, but it was good. My daughter told me that they ferment some ingredient for a few days when making the bread, and that gives it the unique texture. It had a special name, but I've forgotten what it was.

Yeah, we might have gone a little overboard. My daughter wanted to try everything it seemed like! The spices that are used were different than anything I have ever tasted. The lady who runs the place (host, waitress, chef and cashier all in one!) told us that she has the spices shipped directly from Ethiopia.

My favorites were the Sambussa, Engudai Tibs, Yekik Alicha, and Salad - in that order. Favorite meat dish was the Lamb Alicha. The thing I would pass on for next time was the Gomen.

OK, you got me - I really didn't remember the names of all those dishes. I had to cheat and go look at their online menu to refresh my memory!

http://nyalafortcollins.com/

I forget what the bread is called but it's very good. If it's what I'm thinking of it's almost like a cross between a pita or naan bread and a pancake, with a bit of sourdough flavor.

Yes, that's it exactly!

This thread is making me hungry! There's a really good Ethiopian place about a mile and a half from my house. I'll have to head over sometime this week.