Blue Nile Ethiopian

Hello everyone!

Hope everyone is staying warm!  we just had the 'historic' Juno, and lo and behold... it's snowing again...  so! care for a little virtual trip to someplace a bit warmer?  how about Ethiopia with its spiced teas, coffee ceremonies, frankincense, and abundance of everything warm and spicy?  =)

We visited Blue Nile for a date night (day) after one of our friends recommended the place to us, and we had a great time!  Yelp guided us on what to order because I've only had Ethiopian food once before, and David wasn't a pro either, and we were very happy with our choices!  =)

The only thing I wasn't completely over the moon about was this spiced tea...  I mean...  It was good, but it wasn't that different than other teas I've tried.

If the tea was a bit underwhelming, the main course was...  incredible!

We ordered a vegetarian combination and a beef dish, and everything was so. delicious.

In Ethiopian cuisine, you eat everything with  you hands, wrapping the food in enjera (the spongy pancake looking thing).  It may take a little bit of getting used to, but it's really not too weird once you do it a couple of times.  Besides, once you start eating, you'll forget all about the new way of eating because it's the only way you can get the deliciousness in front of you into your belly!

yum!  yup, we did a good job  ;)  haha  

Coffee is not really my cup of tea... (not having much luck here with my 'teas') I've tried so hard for so many years to like it, but the closest I get to it is a mocha.. and maybe a hazelnut latte.  But when I saw that they had an 'Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony', I had to order it and see what it was like!

The whole experience was pretty cool.  They brought the roasted beans, shook it around in front of us and had us smell the aroma,

then, they brought some frankincense, popcorn, and the coffee to be brewed in a little pot at our table

Unfortunately, even after the Ethiopian ceremony, I was not a huge fan of the coffee.  David, however, who likes coffee like a normal 20 something, really liked it! 

We were a little confused by the popcorn... but the waiter assured us that popcorn is a normal part of Ethiopian coffee/snack time!

We really enjoyed our visit to Blue Nile; the wait staff was wonderful, the food was fantastic, and the family-run atmosphere was really charming  =)  We would highly recommend a trip over if you are in Houston and in the mood for some Ethiopian food!

Happy Friday everyone, and hope you have a wonderful wekeend!

Thanks for stopping by!

--Janny