Arada Ethiopian Restaurant
750 Sante Fe Drive
www.aradarestaurant.com
Attendees: Ang., Caroline, Jen, Katie, Lara and Marie
Ethiopian food is now the most frequently enjoyed ethnic food group by the Denver Dinnergirls. We have dined at The Ethiopian Restaurant on Colfax (one of our very first dinners, there were 4 of us and our bar tab was twice the total of our food, surely the plan of the establishment) and Queen of Sheba, also on Colfax (again, only 4 of us but since there was no liquor, a very inexpensive dinner). Ethiopian food is one of the most fascinating and enjoyable of all ethnic dining because you are immediately submerged into the culture...there are no plates or silver, everyone just sits around the big platter and shares...it's a wonderful communal experience. Both the previously mentioned Ethiopian Restaurant and Queen of Sheba are entertaining and delicious but Arada is without a doubt the best in town.
(You don't have to take this from me...ask around, Westword, City Search, Denver Restaurant Guide...eating critics and readers all agree...it is the best.)
From the service to the presentation of the bill, this place is what dining out should be...practically perfect in every way.
We all met at the bar, a very well stocked affair and ordered a round of wines by the glass. We were served by Haime, a lovely gal but she was soon replaced by Siaka (see-ah-kah) who would not only take over behind the bar, he served as our waiter and guide...and very graciously, with a fantastic smile, steered us through the million questions we are always bound to ask and did.
Arada is small but very beautifully decorated with a few really amazing, framed pieces of art on the walls and for being such a small dining room it was pretty quiet.
He seated us at our table and was very helpful steering us through the menu...it's not tricky but we wanted to try as much of everything as we could. We settled on one vegetarian combo platter and one festival of meat platter. We also ordered a couple Sambusa's (think Ethiopian empanadas--every culture has their own version), one filled with lentils and other a ground beef mixture....both of them were very good and spicy but not overpowering.
The main event though was served in a very timely manner and this is where Arada really stands above the aforementioned and other Ethiopian restaurants.
Siaka brought two trays to the table containing the Ethiopian bread. It is unlike any other bread I have ever had in my life. It is spongy, kind of like a giant crepe, only thicker, but has a zip and tang to it that I find hard to put my finger on...we asked him and he told us how they make it but I just don't understand how every single serving is perfect. (For those uninitiated the bread is how you eat all the dishes...using little pieces of the bread to "scoop" up bite-size portions and pop them into your mouth...super fun...kids would love it!)
Then he brought all the individual items that went with our combos in small bowls and dished them onto the platters explaining what each item was as he did so.
The vegetarian tray was full of yellow split peas, lentils in a red pepper sauce, green beans, potatoes, carrots and cabbage and the most perfectly cooked collard greens...each dish a delicious mixture of spices and textures...so freakin' good, you could almost cry.
The meat platter contained a plethora of beef dishes, ground beef, strips of beef, beef chunks and number 9, which Siaka said was his favorite and I think all of the girls at the table agreed, was absolutely the most tasty selection on the tray. There was also a lamb selection in the middle of the platter that was tender and supple...and again, each dish was a perfect blend of spices and herbs and garlic...mmm, mmm, mmm!
Each platter also contained 2 salads...one a combination of tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and peppers and then the other seemed to contain all those ingredients and small pieces of the Ethiopian bread all soaked in a sublime vinegar mixture and Siaka kept the bread well stocked on the trays so that we were never without.
Toward the end of our dinner a very beautiful woman (I forgot to write down her name...grrr!) came out to our table and asked how we liked everything, even mentioning some certain dishes that we had. I am sure she was the chef/owner of the establishment...I know I could not tell her how much I had thoroughly enjoyed our dinner...I don't know that there are the proper words in the English language and unfortunately I do not speak Ethiopian. I can't even seem to find the words in my own native tongue to recommend Arada more highly that to just say, don't wait...go there, seriously, your taste buds will thank you after your stomach begs you to stop eating.
xoxoang.
