teranga

i can't remember where i first heard about teranga but it was a while ago and i have been itching to go. finally i just decided to round up some friends and go one monday night. key to such a plan is having friends who are adventurous eaters and who are not scared of the west side, because teranga is a tiny, hole in the wall senegalese restaurant in hartwell.

drive slow or you might miss it

hole in the wall usually means damn good in my experience. what i have found is that if a place doesn't serve really tasty food, it can't make it if it is both unknown and lacking in ambience. my theory proved true at teranga.

the group chowing down

you walk in and it's just a really small place with a few tables (i had called ahead to arrange seating for our group of 12). most of their orders are to go. the people who work there appear to all be senegalese and probably related. some of them didn't even speak english (excellent sign in a restaurant in my opinion) but they are all super friendly.

moment of truth: the food. here is a breakdown of what we ate:

dibi, aka grilled lamb. most of us ordered this. it was tasty but somewhat tough and overcooked. there were a few bits here and there that were medium rare and those were delicious. also those onions were completely addictive.

beef brochette, aka kabobs. really yummy. i think it was medium well to well done, but it was a lot juicier and more tender than the lamb. the spices on this dish were awesome.

firire, aka fried tilapia. this style of onions was also damn good. i really liked this fish and it might have been my favorite until i tasted...

...the grilled tilapia. OH MY GOD. my tastebuds still have not recovered. this is the absolute best fish i have ever had in cincinnati. it ranks right up there with whole fishes i have eaten on the beaches of costa rica, guatemala, mexico, and thailand. maybe not as fresh (well definitely not as fresh) but the preparation is amazing. claire ordered this and the minute she started to slow down, i shoved her out of the way and began ripping meat off of bones and shoving it into my mouth in a mad frenzy. i know it's rude but i literally could not stop myself. it was that good. run, do not walk, or you could drive i guess, to teranga and eat this fish asap. you can thank me in cash.

a note about portion sizes: they are huge. many of us ordered two sides instead of the one that most dishes come with and it was way too much food. however the upside is that you then have lunch the next day. the couscous was ok but kind of dry and bland, and the plantains (maduros) were excellent. we also tried the juices (bissop, which is a sweet fruity blend, and the ginger drink) and they were super sweet and delicious. they don't serve alcohol, but i bet they would let you bring your own.

the sides. top: plantains. bottom: couscous.

this place is a hidden gem. everything is good, some things (ahem grilled fish ahem) are amazing, and it's all cheap (everything is $10 or less). definitely make it a point to go here.

emanu

i have been dying to try emanu for months. it seemed that everyone had been there but me and they were all raving about it. i felt left out and ornery. luckily, beth t. and mick are doing this game called the alphabet of restaurants or something like that. here are the rules: every time they go out to dinner, they have to eat at a restaurant that starts with the next sequential letter of the alphabet. the first restaurant was... i have no idea. c was chalk. f was fatburger. anyway beth invited laura and me when they were on e, which meant emanu, which meant i got my wish to eat there!

the interior of the restaurant. it's kind of boring but you won't care.

emanu is ethiopian and served in the traditional way. if you have never had ethiopian, what this means is that you are served a variety of stews and vegetable dishes on a large platter covered in injera.

liz: wikipedia, what's injera?

wikipedia: Injera (Ge'ez እንጀራ, pronounced [ɨndʒǝra], sometimes transliterated enjera) or taita is a pancake-like bread made out of teff flour.^[1] It is traditionally eaten in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia (where it is also called laxoox and canjeero), Yemen, Northern Kenya and by the Nuer people of Sudan. In making injera, flour is mixed with water and allowed to ferment for several days, as with sourdough starter. Because of this process, injera has a slight sour taste. The injera is then ready to bake into large flat pancakes, done either on a specialized electric stove or more commonly, on a clay plate (mogogo) placed over a fire. In terms of shape, Injera compares to the French crepe and the South Indian dosa as a flatbread cooked in a circle and used as a base for other foods. The taste and texture however, are quite unique and unlike the crepe and dosa.

liz: thanks wikipedia!

i am a huge fan of ethiopian food, but it is not for everyone. for example, it is not for people who don't like delicious food. it is also not for people who are silverware junkies. you eat it with your hands by wrapping up bits of stew in the injera.

insanely wonderful spread of amazing deliciousness

we basically wanted everything on the menu so we asked our server for a recommendation. she suggested that we get the combo platter and then add a vegetable dish. we did this. i wish i could tell you exactly what we got but i forgot to take a photo of the menu and it is not listed on their website. i do know that we got a chicken and egg dish, a beef dish, a veggie dish, and a lentil dish. included with every platter are several sides, including cabbage, peppers, and greens. it was all damn tasty.

note to vegetarians: probably a third of the dishes on the menu are sans meat!

service was excellent. our server was super nice and answered all our questions. the atmosphere is kind of strip mall-ish, but the food is so good that you will not even care. parking is sketchy, we just parked in the bank lot across the street and it was fine.

i am now going to let you in on the absolute best part about emanu (other than the deliciousness of the food): it is insanely cheap. i am talking rock bottom, 6 year olds who sew gap clothes for 18 hours a day in cambodia get paid more than this cheap. cheap cheap cheap.

wait, exactly how cheap? well first of all it is byob. i brought a 6 pack of beer so that was like maybe $7 total for drinks for everyone. we ordered an appetizer and four entrees and this came to, i am not making this up, $12 per person including tax and tip. please note that i put that in bold and i hate putting things in bold. it's like a permanent recession special. buy now! everything must go!

beth, etc. demonstrate the proper way to eat ethiopian food... or they are just devouring it and ignoring my pleas to "hang on a second you guys while i get some pictures!"

emanu's food is cheap, delicious, and very filling. we could not finish everything. on top of this, everyone who works there seems to actually really love their job and their customers. it's amazing. i can count on one hand the number of places like that in cincinnati, and none of them are this cheap.

stop whatever you are doing right now and run to emanu. if they are closed, camp outside until they are open. i am serious, this place is truly a find. you cannot let another day pass without doing your part to make sure emanu stays in business for a very long time.

hot west side restaurant tips

these tips are extremely hot! so hot, in fact, that i have not even had a chance to try them yet.

1. darou salam restaurant on colerain ave just before you get on 74 bills itself as african food of unspecified origin. i saw it while on my way to mt. airy forest (which you have to check out if you haven't b/c it is awesome for hiking) over the weekend. it is just a tiny little place and was closed at the time. i have high hopes, although who knows exactly what they serve. i tried to look it up online and couldn't find anything... this place is probably totally under the radar of the typical non-african cincinnati resident. don't get fooled by listings for darou salam store, which is in northside. that may also be awesome but does not serve food (that i know of).

2. best west international cuisine, which serves jamaican food. i had read a review in cin weekly a long time ago (it is no longer online) and i have been dying to go. i can never convince people to actually go since they don't serve alcohol. finally celia said she and adam would go with me but i might have to cancel on them. dammit, i need me some patties and coco bread!

3. walt's bbq. actually i have been to this one. best ribs EVER. you do not need bbq sauce they are soooo good. i am not kidding you. walt's looks montgomery inn in the eye, laughs, and then steals its lunch money. actually i have no idea since i have never been to montgomery inn. however i kind of refuse to go there on principle since everyone says their sauce is what makes the ribs, and to me that means you serve shitty ribs.

come on friends, let's get over our fears of the west side and go eat some delicious food!