Cafe Colucci Review

as part of our Ethiopian crawl

Restaurant: Cafe Colucci

Home Page: http://www.cafecolucci.com/

Address: 6427 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA

Date Visited: Sunday, June 18th, 2006

Number of Participants: 6, including Mark (add your name if you are comfortable doing so)

Summary Impression

To add a comment, just click the edit button and type a paragraph list this one. Comment on whatever you feel like, and ignore sections if don't feel like writing anything. Please sign your comments, by putting your name in italics at the end. To put something in italics, put two single quotes on each side of it. Click on edit this page to see how this example comment is formatted. -Mark

I was fairly happy with everything but not really amazed by anything. A fairly solid 3 according my rating scale. -mark

I remember enjoying the meal quite a bit... and the company even more!... but wasn't quite in the frame of mind to dissect the nuances of the various dishes since the idea of the crawl was a spontaneous suggestion by mark towards the end of the meal... will have more detailed comments about dishes for the next few restaurants... -n

Food and Presentation

All food was presented on two big platters. Nice, but not unusual in the least. The warm meats were then poured into their spots. -mark

They served the vegetarian dishes in one platter and the non-veg in another... a nice gesture appreciated by the vegetarian at our table... this was noteworthy only because they didn't do it at the next place in oakland... is it an uncommon practice i wonder... -n

Food Details: Messer-Wot (split lentils)

Description: "Organic split lentils in Berbere sauce simmered in Bessobela, garlic, and red onions. Lively & spicy legume"

Food Details: Kik-Alicha (split peas)

Description: "Organic split pea in Turmeric sauce cooked with fresh sliced ginger, Bessobela, selected herbs and spices"

Food Details: Mitten-Shouro (chickpea powder)

Description: "Imported chickpea powder deliciously seasoned & cooked with garlic. So tasty you will be hooked for life"

This dish was my favorite...the flavors all came together in a delicate manner and complemented the smooth texture of the ground chick peas... would definitely go back for more of this! -n

Food Details: Gomen (collard greens)

Description: "Collard greens sautéed with onions, tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. (Jalapeno peppers optional)"

Really enjoyed the collard greens... but then again, i'm a fan of collard greens as a vegetable to begin with... the greens were crunchy and lightly flavored... adding texture to the vegetarian dishes that tended to be on the mushy side... -n

I liked the crunchiness/texture too. -mark

Food Details: Kitfo (raw meat)

Description: "Extra lean finely minced beef. Traditionally eaten raw. Seasoned with Mitmita, fresh cardamom & seasoned butter. May be cooked to order. Served with Ayeb"

Nicely spiced; complemented the other dishes. -mark

N explained to us that the raw meat was probably washed in hot water. That gets rid of the mushiness but doesn't dry it out, a problem we saw in later restaurants. -mark

Food Details: Meat Combination

Description: I think this included chicken drumsticks, a ground lamb dish, and a ground beef dish. Apologies that I don't remember the names or descriptions well enough to provide more detail. If you do, fix this paragraph!

Pretty good. But chicken on a bone is a pain. -mark

Food Details: Honey Wine

Description: A bottle of Enat Sweet Ethiopian Honey Wine

I usually like honey wine, but I didn't like this stuff. I think it had a few bubbles or something that messed up the taste and texture. -mark

Food Details: Salads provided on the platter

Good vinegar dressing. The juices that soaked into the injera beneath the salad really gave it more character, and made a neat contrast when used to pick up other dishes. -mark

Food Details: Injera

Food Details: Coffee

Some people got coffee after dinner and thought it was nicely spiced (with cardamon) and very smooth. -mark

Atmosphere & Decor

They had pictures of spices under the glass-topped tables and some tables had actual spices under the table tops. I really liked this feature. The place had a coffeehouse feel and was happening when we arrived. Pictures of Ethiopia dotted the walls, adding a nice ambiance. No outside tables. -mark

Service

I'm told the service was bad, though I can't remember why. If you do, please delete this comment and replace it with text describing why. -mark

Miscellaneous (Other Remarks, Interesting Stories, etc.)

Stopped by after the drive back from Ashland. Someone I just met here told an story that was inappropriate for such casual acquaintances. In lighter news, Di Yin was disappointed they didn't have definitions like Pilaf. But then we pointed out to her that they had some (not many), and she was happy. In other news, I got to learn about active coal. -mark

I can't tell which Cafe Colucci dish was the one with the potatoes on the vegetarian combo platter but it was my favorite. -di yin