Little Ethiopia: Addis

Last week, I was hanging out with my coworkers talking about all the various places we go to. Most of them tend to stay in their local neighborhood once home. A quick scan of my blog has me going from DTLA, SGV, the Valley, the Westside, the Southbay and Hollywood. I’m all over the place. And I love LA and its various ethnic enclaves. One of my favorite foods is Ethiopian. I thought I’ve tried them all with the exception of the vegan Ethiopian restaurant (don’t worry, I’ll get to it eventually) but Addis was unfamiliar to me. I decided to check it out and four others joined me.

 

I’m used to ordering a veggie and meat combo but Addis doesn’t offer a meat combo plate. So we ordered the veggie combo and several meat dishes. It ended up being too much food but incredibly affordable. We spent about $16 a person and still had leftovers.

The veggie combo arrived on the traditional family-style platter. It included:

Misir – Split red lentils cooked in a spicy chili sauce
Kik Alicha – Split peas prepared with mild sauce
Gomen – Collard greens cooked in authentic Ethiopian spices
Mixed At-kilt – Boiled potatoes, carrots, and cabbage
Azifa – Boiled lentils, jalapenos, and onions
Tematim Selata – Diced tomatoes, onions, jalapenos in lemon juice (salad)

 

 

Our server was skeptical that we really wanted to order the raw beef. I did! I do! I love kitfo (steak tartare) and was intrigued about this version being served with cottage cheese. As it turned out the cottage cheese smelled and tasted a bit like Indian rice pudding. It was also much denser than your average supermarket cottage cheese. We (I) happily ate this with a pile of injera.

We loved the lamb and beef stew (kiay wot). I ended up spooning some over the rice that came with the whole fried fish (assa). This dish also reminded me a bit of Indian food but less heat. The fish well was well-fried but I think I would order a different dish next time, perhaps a stew.

We also ordered the spicy beef (awaze tibbs). This dish was a bit dry so I ended up dipping some pieces into that amazing stew.

The sweet owner and chef came out with dessert for us. She had baked a cake at home and gave us some to try. We were the only table that night and I hope business picks up for this new Ethiopian restaurant.

Addis

1025 S. Fairfax Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90019

323-965-1025

*BYOB

*street parking or lot