Some foods taste better with a hit of fat. A hamburger fried in a pool of its own grease, then slathered with mayo and cheese sauce on a buttered roll, qualifies as good grub. The same goes for the food at Abol Ethiopian Cuisine, where every tasty, finger-licking morsel glistens with grease.
But it’s not gratuitous grease. It’s there to marry a complex combination of spices — bitter cinnamon, mind-numbing cloves, floral cardamom and feisty paprika — without tempering their individual ass-kicking flavors. And whatever oil leaches out is nicely absorbed by bundles of squishy sourdough injera crepes.
The vegetarian combination platter ($12) hits with samples of six different entrees, each with a distinct flavor and texture. Lentils stewed in a red sauce (yemisir wot) has a warm, earthy cinnamon taste and a spicy kick that creeps up from behind. Baked chickpeas in red sauce (shenbra asa wot) packs a little more heat.
Both stews may look mushy, but their textures are actually hearty and hold their own against the complex spices. For mush, the platter offers split peas stewed in a mild yellow sauce (yeshiro alicha), which offers a soft contrast to the combo’s other tidbits.
A soft heap of stewed carrots and string beans (yefasolia wot) is pleasantly sweet and arrives at room temperature, intentionally or not. In any case, its gentler flavor and cool feel provides respite from the platter’s red stews.
The platter also comes with sauteed collard greens (gomen wot) and sauteed cabbage (tikle gomen), both of which are naturally bitter and lightly seasoned. They’re too stark a contrast to the stews. Pass them up.
For carnivores, Abol’s chicken stewed in red sauce (doro wot, $11) is like buttah — literally. Tender, moist dark meat melts off the bone, and the red sauce is accented with seasoned clarified butter, a traditional Ethiopian ingredient. Really, what isn’t made better by a little butter? It’s good eats.
Abol’s special tibs ($12, above) is pretty damn awesome. Bite-sized bits of lamb are sauteed with onions, garlic, jalapeno peppers and a touch of butter (yes!) to create a robust medley of tender meat, crisp veggies and a light kick in the ass. This dish also can be prepared with beef (not reviewed).
The bright, clean dining room is an about-face from its formerly grimy existence as a RedStix Cafe. The sunny room reflects the restaurant’s servers, who offer friendly tips on the menu and move food out of the kitchen with expediency.
Abol Ethiopian Cuisine, 8626 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, (301) 650-0061.
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Thanks for the review, Jennifer. I’m very happy to hear that Abol’s food is good. And cheap!
I still fear for the place, given how every other restaurant there has failed, but the missus and I will do our part to help keep them going.
Question: What kind of food did RedStix serve, anyway?
Here’s a question. If the food is greasy, should this restaurant be allowed in Silver Spring? One constant complaint against chains is that the food tends to be unhealthy And the county is even looking to force chains to disclose just how deadly their food is. Should the same apply to this restaurant? Or do they get a pass because they are locally owned, ethnic and small?
Thanks for your comment, Brent.
Regarding the county’s desire for restaurants to provide nutritional info, that rule (if approved) would apply only to chains.
The bill may never pass. This fall, a federal court denied New York City from enacting a similar law.
Grease is a necessary food group. It lubes your innards so that the calories just slip on through. The only reason that it is not on the “food pyramid” is because it keeps slipping off. I ask MoCo, why transgender has rights and transfat hasn’t. Food for thought.
Tried Abol tonight and it was very good. The owner is a nice gentleman who has big plans for a quality restaurant, with outdoor seating and delivery service.
Better still, they seem to have a complete liquor license. In MoCo!
Hey Jennifer, when I told the proprietor about your positive review, he got very, very happy and excited. You made someone’s day.
My husband and I ate here the other night. We thought the food was pretty good. They have some different options than most Ethiopian restaurants and I actually thought the food was less greasy than some of the area standbys.
I do worry about their ability to stay open. The vegetarian combination for one is $12; for two, they just tack on $2 more!!! I never thought I would say this but they may need to raise their prices!
I ate there last week and found the food to be really good. It is not served “traditionally”, where it is all together on a bed of injera, rather is served in a really cool tray that separates the dishes from one another and the injera is in a basket. You can then spoon out whatever you want onto your plate onto or next to your own piece of injera. This is kind of nice because although you are still eating with your hands, using the injera to pick up the food, you can eat off your own plate. This is not better or worse then eating it “traditionally”, just different and noteworthy for its uniqueness. The food was really good, very nicely prepared, good quality. The people are nice too!
I ate at Abol last night with my girlfriend. We shared the veggie combo platter and a beef dish. We were very satisfied with the veggie platter and impressed with the beef dish which was very tender (I can’t remember which one we chose but it had carrots and was kinda sweet). I hope they can make it long-term and that more businesses will want to move in on that side of the street.
Editor’s note: Thanks for your comments, Brian. The northwest side of Colesville Road is drawing more tenants. Two restaurants, which will sit between Abol and Ray’s the Classic, are already in the works. And then there’s the Filmore. — JD (Dec 20, 2007)