Who would have guessed there would be an eatery that serves Ethiopian cuisine near the foothills of…read morethe San Gabriel Mountains in northern San Fernando Valley? Featuring about 5 different varieties. No need to go to Fairfax to Little Ethiopia, an hour away.
Interior is decorated mostly with all things western cowboy with smattering of movie stars & bit of British royalty. Other menu items are basically American diner breakfast, lunch, dinner, punctuated by standard northern Mexican.
Service is polite, understatedly welcoming and subtly aware. My ice tea was refreshed many times due to the piquancy of Dorowot.
1) Dorowot/Ethiopian Chicken:
Injera, a hole pocked, spongy, huge "pancake" made from Teff, gluten-free, faintly nutty, earthy grain native to Ethiopia. It reminds me of Indian rice based Appam with many holes from the carbon dioxide given off while the batter mixture is fermented.
Dorowot here is not slowly stewed for 3 days to create a rich, dark, thick, sauce demi-glace by the likes of Master Chef Genet Agonafar, but the dark red, paprika enriched thickened sauce may be braised for about 3 hours which is enough to mellow out the chiles so it only leaves a slow burn.
Chicken leg & thigh cooked in this red sauce anchor this main dish.
The three vegetable accompaniment are:
a) Soft, smooth, velvety, sweet cabbage cooked with buttery olive oil
b) Chunks of earthy, dulcet red beets that have an initial firmness yielding to cleavable softness.
c) Collard Greens are chopped with pieces of garlic, cooked retaining fresh greenness.
Ranch Side's Dorowot at $21 may be a good value compared to the more detailed $31 Dorowot by Genet.
2) Awazè Tibs: Sweet, butter aroma hits first, Acidic tomato paste-like, red chile piquancy. Slow burn as well as a subtle smokiness to this complex stew.
Owner explained the Berbere was the name of the chile based spice mix. There is a subdued sourness that comes into play along with aromatics from chopped onion and green bellpepper.
I ordered off menu so I asked that the mushrooms and cubed beef be mixed together. Mushrooms are soft and cushy while the beef has a good chaw to add contrast in texture.
1-2a) Old Prague Traditional Czech Beer, Bohemian Premium Lager:
The art on the can depicts elegant old buildings of the Stare Mesto old town and picturesque Karlov Most crossing tbe Vlatava River on the way to Hradcany castle.
Toasty, roasted grain, light fizzy acidity, brown sugar, long lasting sweet, burnt, tingly finish.
3) Peach Cobler has a wheat flour crust that is very moist and plush to the point of feeling almost like a pudding picking up the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg spicing. Canned yellow Cling peach slices seem suspended in this rather overly sweet, rustic version.
I had to take the peach cobbler home since it was so sweet. But glad I did since it pairs perfectly with strong Japanese Matcha, powdered green tea.
4 stars for a taste of Ethiopian international cuisine