Forks? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Forks!

Massawa

I am generally not afraid of carbs as a rule, but do recognize that I have a tendency to retain them in unflattering places on my body when consumed in excess. Therefore, although I adore Ethiopian cuisine, I tend to shy away from it because of the warm, delicious piles of injera, the spongy, slightly tart bread that come with your meal and are used in place of a fork to scoop up your food. Carb heaven! (or hell, depending on how well your pants are fitting that day). But my dear friend Bari was turning 25, and her boyfriend Ben made reservations at Massawa, an adorable little Ethiopian-Eritrean restaurant tucked into the corner of 121^st and Amsterdam, so I decided to shelve the diet for the day and indulge a little bit.

The restaurant is on two levels, with a main dining room upstairs, and an intimate downstairs with sofas and stools arranged around a main table, giving the impression of a cozy nest. Wisely, we were placed downstairs and given the green light to get loud as hell. We started the meal with scallion-studded bean dip (accompanied by pita bread, which I thought was kind of odd, but then figured they save the injera for the big show) and meat and veggie-filled sambusas (a little like fried dumplings or samosas) which were addictively crispy and light. The wait for dinner was just long enough to get our palates raring to go, but not so long that we got crabby – the waitress was extremely attentive and made sure we were well-supplied with drinks in the interim. Even the temperature was just right; a powerful fan set up in the back kept us cool and comfortable. Air conditioning wouldn’t really have felt right in the space.

When the main courses come out, it’s rather daunting. There was so much food they had to put it on two separate platters. We went for a mix of traditional (beef with tomatoes, braised chicken, lamb) and some more eclectic selections (beef with pumpkin, okra curry) The proteins were laid out beautifully and ringed with fresh regional salads and bean dishes for color and taste contrast. Two more plates of injera, looking like folded beige hand towels, arrived alongside the enormous platters to be used for scooping and dunking. (I did actually ask for a fork to try to cut down on my carb intake and got a little good-natured static about it from the waitress, but had the last laugh when one of the platters got wedged into the decorative centerpiece in the middle of the table and my fork was used to pry it out. HA!)

Is it wrong to just stick my whole face in here?

We plainly, simply, ate ourselves sick – everything was just so damn tasty. Cheap date Bari was glowy and giggly after one mango martini, which were made with fresh mango nectar and taste incredibly ripe and intoxicating. Unfortunately the bartender seemed non-plussed by my Absolut martini order – I kept getting a warm glass of vodka with no lemon twist – but then I figured when in Ethiopia, and drank it anyways. (I KNOW they probably don’t have Absolut in Ethiopia – poor attempt at joke/underplaying my latent alcoholism)

Although we hadn’t ordered dessert, Ben had let the waiters know in advance that it was her birthday, and after dinner, out came three dishes of coconut and chocolate sorbet, each topped with a candle, the coconut in shells and the chocolate in what I swear was a cacao pod. Now that’s a stylish presentation! The chocolate sorbet in particular was exquisite, so rich and dark you could have swapped it out for ice cream and never known the difference. It was a light, perfect end to the meal.

Despite the fact that Massawa is a little annoying to find, the food makes it completely and utterly worth it. $20 apiece covered everything and we were on our way. Bari and the others headed back to her place for birthday champagne, and I tripped off to my second assignation in Hell’s Kitchen, dinner pleasantly sloshing around in my belly and visions of bedding down under a blanket of injera dancing in my head.

Massawa, 1239 Amsterdam Avenue (at 121^st Street); 1 or C to 116^th Street and then hoof it or take a cab; www.massawanyc.com; 212-663-0505