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On Saturday, I had an early birthday dinner with some friends at Blue Nile, a yummy Ethiopian restaurant on Richmond. I hadn’t had Ethiopian since I moved back to Houston (I missed the Ethopian in NYC), so dinner was especially good.

We ordered the Vegetarian Combination (a sampling of 4 or 5 different dishes) and The Blue Nile Special (a sampling of chicken, lamb and beef with some vegetables) - and both were excellent. Since Ethiopian food is eaten with your hands, the waitress came around with a beautiful silver bown, soap and warm water for us to rinse our hands. The Blue Nile Special came out in a beautiful, colorful handwoven basket and plates of injera, spongy bread made with teff. Besides being delicious, one of the things I love about Ethiopian food is that the meal is so communal…..the dishes come out on large plates which everyone eats off of.

[photopress:bday_1.jpg,thumb,alignleft]We also experienced the Ethopian coffee ceremony. First, the waitress brought out an incense bowl containing hot coals and frankincense rocks. Then, she brought out the coffee in a really pretty clay pot with small espresso cups, and let it sit for a while. She also brought out a huge bowl of popcorn, which we thought was pretty random. [photopress:bday_2.jpg,thumb,alignright] Alicia asked what it was for, and the waitress said the coffee ceremony always includes some sort of snack….thus, the popcorn. The coffee was reaaaally good…..it was dark, dark black like espresso, but not at all bitter. I even drank it straight without my usual sugar/cream, it was that smooth.

We ended up being at dinner for close to three hours. Afterwards, we headed back to my place for desserts and to watch Murderball, which was an excellent documentary (it’s an Oscar nominee for Best Documentary).