Demera, Ethiopia [Pictures]

LTH,

Having food centric house guests tends to make every meal a, sometimes heated, debate. So when JB suggested Demera, a new(ish) Ethiopian place on Broadway I was shocked to silence on two fronts. One, I thought it an excellent suggestion and two, where did Houstonian JB pick up on a month old Ethiopian restaurant, then I saw the new Reader open to Martha Bayne's review.

The Green Mill, directly across the street, made the perfect stop for a pre lazy Sunday lunch drink and Demera's two spacious sunlight lit rooms, coupled with a warm greeting, added to the Guinness glow.

Demera



We started with Spinach Sambussa, light, flaky very crisp, accompanying hot sauce has a drizzle of honey for accent.

Spinach Sambussa (#4)


Kay Seer Salad, both beets and potato tender, yet retained structural integrity, nicely accented by slivers of hot pepper. Served with tasty, though dense, rolls and injera.

Kay Seer Salad (#8 )


Kitfo, raw beef laced with spiced butter, full mouth coating almost slick texture, mildly spicy, flavorful, nicely offset by house made farmers cheese.

Kitfo (#37)



When Ye-Doro Tibs (marinated chicken breast) was advanced I quickly lobbied for Doro Wot, spicy chicken legs with berbere, but, implausibly, I was the only fan of chicken dark meat at the table. Good flavor for breast meat, quite moist and tender.

Ye-Doro Tibs (#26)


Veg-Meat Messob, choice of two meat and two veg served on injera is a heck of a deal at $15. We opted for Gomen, tender chopped collard greens stewed with onion, garlic and ginger. Ye-Misir, long simmered red lentil with rich, spicy berbere sauce. Lega Tibs, a tasty combo of lamb, onion, peppers and tomato and Goden Tibs, lamb ribs fried with onion, tomato, and slivers of hot pepper which was my least favorite dish of the day. Hard to eat, one large multi bone piece with the chine bone still attached, a few tasty morsels, but really difficult to dig out in a polite restaurant setting.

Veg-Meat Messob (#23) (Two meats, two veg)
- Gomen (#15), Ye-Misir Wot (#11), Goden Tibs (#31), Lega Tibs (#29)



Service was very good, informed, friendly, timely and even though Demera has a full bar they did not seem to mind we brought wine.*

After lunch we stopped at Pasticceria Natalina for dessert, Jan's eyes actually glazed over as she bit into the sheep's milk ricotta goodness. We picked up a few goodies for home, including a cognac soaked Palline topped with an Amarone cherry. Which I ate while typing this post.

Palline


Enjoy,
Gary

*I called and asked about BYOB, but there must have been a miscommunication as I came away from the conversation with Demera being BYOB

Demera
4801 N. Broadway
Chicago, Il
773-334-8787

Pasticceria Natalina
5406 N. Clark
Chicago, IL 60640
773-989-0662

Damn, that kitfo looks terrific. Why do I live in Oak Park??!!

teatpuller wrote:Damn, that kitfo looks terrific. Why do I live in Oak Park??!!

Whereas I, who live about a ten minute walk away and have known about the place for quite some time, haven't yet made it.

Thanks, Gary, for the pics and writeup. Although I'm not a huge fan of Ethiopian food, you (and Martha Bayne) make it sound too good to pass up.

Great to read (and see) a first-hand account confirming what I imagined from peering through the window while waiting for a bus just outside for 20 min. on the coldest day of the year.
The room looked very nice, the servers all appeared to be friendly and buzzing around efficiently, and all the plates on all the tables looked very attractive as they were tucked into by an equally attractive and apparently pleased clientele.
I made a mental note to make it inside the door as soon as practicable.
Nice to know that I wasn't being deceived by my incipient frostbite.

Thanks for the report Gary. I love that Broadway is becoming the Devon of Ethiopian cuisine, with Ethiopian Diamond, Ras Dashen, Sheba, the new Abyssinian restaurant, and now Demera, plus a couple of markets. (Well, I guess it's far from the density and scope Devon, but I imagine there are far fewer Ethiopain/Eritrean immigrants than Indian/Pakistani).

Thanks, Gary, for the report and the great pics. I've been somewhat underwhelmed by my last few Ethiopian meals. I look forward to trying Demera and I think one of my coworkers will be especially thrilled to give it a shot at lunch sometime soon, too.

=R=

G Wiv wrote:- Gomen (#15), Ye-Misir Wot (#11), Goden Tibs (#31), Lega Tibs (#29)

That picture of kitfo and ayib (ib) is killing me. Must head north soon...
But I must inquire, what is the (suspiciously ketchup-esque) red stuff in the ramekin?

Kristen

Based on this thread (thanks, Gary) I tried Demara last night. My take, based on one single visit - overall, it's as good or - possibly - better than any of the other Ethiopean restaurants I've tried in the city.

I didn't take pix, but we started with the chicken and vegetable sambussa - visually similar to the spinach version posted above. Obviously, many cultures have fillings wrapped in dough - this resembled a fried egg roll in a triangular shape with a dense, tasty, chicken-y filling. Not spicy, but it did leak a flavorful oil a bit. That wasn't a bad thing.

Then we went on to the Veg-Meat Messob - we chose Quosta (spinach, which had an interesting herb-spice incorporated, which I couldn't identify), Zilzil Tibs (beef strips - a bit chewy, but in a flavorful, not overly spicy sauce, with slightly-crisp onions - probably my least favorite), Kik Alicha (yellow split peas in garlic), and Doro Watt (it took a while to figure out how to grab pieces of meat off the drumstick with the injera, but it had just the right spiciness in the berbere sauce. The hard boiled egg accompaniment, apparently traditional. really didn't do much for me, though.)

Overall, a very good meal. The fact that The Green Mill is right across the street, for a nightcap and great jazz (and not too crowded on a Wednesday night) only adds to the experience.

kl5 wrote:But I must inquire, what is the (suspiciously ketchup-esque) red stuff in the ramekin?

Heinz

No, not really. It's a medium spicy hot sauce, the same hot sauce that accompanied the Spinach Sambussa, sans drizzle of honey.

Enjoy,
Gary

The family took the 40 minute drive from Oak Park on Saturday for lunch. It was nice to have Ethiopian again after several years. It was good, but the kitfo wasn't as good as some I've had before. I think the problem was the meat appeared to be chopped in a food processor. It was almost like a paste. I think it should be chopped finely by hand or ground freshly. I'm certainly no expert though. My eight month old loved the injera. We decided to repeat the whole G Wiv tour and hit Pasticceria Natalina. That place was fantastic. Best pastries I've had in a long time. Amazing how Clark st. in Andersonville has changed over the years. I hadn't been there in probably 15 years since my last vist to Reza's. I couldn't figure out why there were parking meters for only some spots along Clark. On the way out my wife realized one meter worked for two spots! Amazing what city folk will think of....I noticed that Konak was still there on Clark and Fullerton?

teatpuller wrote:I noticed that Konak was still there on Clark and Fullerton?

Are you thinking of Clark and Foster?

Yep. sorry.

For lack of a better term, Demera sucked. Yep, it sucked and sucked big time. The service sucked, started with the management scoffing at the fact that we arrived without a reservation. Then continued sucking by allowing my father's car to be towed (no sign or warning that the lot next to the restaurant is patrolled by the infamous Lincoln Towing). Finally seated after retrieving car from tow lot, still no care or regards from the staff, order was taken after at least five other tables were actually served. Food was bland, very bland, and served in bowls with pools of grease instead of on the injera (which was also served ice-cold). Water is also apparently a scarce resource in Uptown as our glasses were never filled. It took my wife at least three times asking a server for more water to finally get her glass filled, but the Ethiopian hospitality then shined its brightest when the server neglected all three other empty glasses on the table. There are a dozen more simple hosting/serving "infractions" that could be listed, but in short, this place sucks. For better Ethiopian food, just continue driving north about 6 more blocks to Ras Dashan and its competitors. By the way, did I mention that Demera sucked?[/img]

A brief note to say we ate there early (5:45pm) tonight. As recommended, we each had the two-meat, two-veggie combo for $15. Eight different entrees, all of which we enjoyed. The two entree I will single out for mention (but whose names I don't entirely recall) were (1) a cabbage and carrot dish and (2) a finely chopped beef with garlic and ginger but also cardamom and white pepper. The former was mild and though the latter was not advertised as spicy, we thought it was. Both excellent.

Water glasses were never an issue. The servers clearly aren't experienced servers, though that didn't particularly trouble us. Settle in for a leisurely time; if you're not so inclined, just signal your server when you need her. We found everyone there to be friendly--just a little inexperienced at running a restaurant. Is that a fault? I guess. Is it a big deal? We didn't find it a problem.

People were all friendly. Our only real complaint is that we don't think the menu does a very good job of explaining all the many pertinent things that it might. Thus, there are frequent references, for example, to a Berbera sauce, but never an explanation. Many little things like that. Besides, you can ask. For $45 for a very pleasant dinner for two, we're not complaining. And though Ethiopian food tends to be one of the few cuisines I'm not particularly fond of, I think we'll be visiting Demera again. (We were pleased to see, on a Saturday night, that when we left about 6:45, the large rooms were beginning to fill up.)

McClane wrote: Then continued sucking by allowing my father's car to be towed (no sign or warning that the lot next to the restaurant is patrolled by the infamous Lincoln Towing).

McClane,

Sounds like the evening sucked.* While not discounting your experience, Ethiopian restaurants are known for relaxed service which a temper flaring event such as a car tow would tend to amplify.

Enjoy,
Gary

*Using the word suck(ed) 6-7 times in a one paragraph posts tends to dilute impact.

I liked dinner tonight at Demera, though in my somewhat limited Ethiopian experience, I prefer meals I've had at Ras Dashen and at Habesha Market in Washington DC. We started with what ended up being my favorite thing of the night, Abesha: homemade cottage cheese flavored with powdered spices and butter. It was served with so-so bread, but the cheese itself packed a wallop of flavor. Moving on to the 6-item vegetable platter, which I found to have relatively muted flavors compared to similar dishes elsewhere. The Shiro (#14 on the menu) was particularly bland, despite what sounded on the menu like an array of interesting stuff I'd never heard of (rue seed, bishops weed). By contrast, Ye-Shimbra Assa (ground chickpeas shaped into a ball, I think fried, and cooked with berbere) was complex, earthy, and left a very bitter aftertaste that I alternately descibed as pleasurable and painful. The other stuff was all fine, with flavor I'd call good but muted, and vegetables that were quite nicely cooked. I love sour injera, but I actually found the sourness of Demera's version to be over the top. At first it seemed delicious, but as I ate the meal, it started to completely overwhelm everything else on the platter. That might very well be a testament to the relative blandness of the food rather than any problem with the bread.

Service was friendly, and I thought Demera had an excellent vibe overall, with one of the most ethically diverse group of patrons I've ever seen in a restaurant. Friendly as the service was, I could see why people might have a problem with the relaxed, laid back attitude and seeming inattentiveness. I was surprised and glad they had Two Brothers Bitter End Pale Ale, which put me in a good mood and helped me take it all in stride.

Kennyz wrote:Service was friendly, and I thought Demera had an excellent vibe overall, with one of the most ethically diverse group of patrons I've ever seen in a restaurant.

I've got to say: (a) I'm really impressed with your ability to discern the ethical tenets of the patrons and (b) I'm not sure how eager I am to return if the patrons' ethics are all THAT diverse.

(Thanks for a laugh to start my day!)

Gypsy Boy wrote:

Kennyz wrote:Service was friendly, and I thought Demera had an excellent vibe overall, with one of the most ethically diverse group of patrons I've ever seen in a restaurant.

I've got to say: (a) I'm really impressed with your ability to discern the ethical tenets of the patrons and (b) I'm not sure how eager I am to return if the patrons' ethics are all THAT diverse.

(Thanks for a laugh to start my day!)

Yes, one patron stole an old lady's purse, and - while he was running away - he dropped a five dollar bill. Another patron picked it up and chased the robber down, just to hand him back the five. Meanwhile, the old lady started swearing words that would make a sailor blush, and a hipster put down his injera to polite ask the old lady to clean up her language (there were kids in the restaurant), at which point she spit in his face. As the hipster became visibly angry, his dining companion reminded him of the "turn the other cheek" tenet. He did, and the old lady darted another wad of phlemn on that one.


Ah, the beauty of typos.

Hilarious set of posts! I initially glossed over the typo instead of considering its comedic potential.

Thanks for the laugh, Kenny & Gypsy. Oh, and the descriptions of the food were good too.

I went with a veggie option last night, and it was pretty tasty, though for $10.75 I kind of expected more than two medium-sized dollops of legumes and a salad. What I really liked was a big bowl of berbere, which I used generously as I consumed 3.5 injera, which on top of about 20 oz. of beer proved to be a very bad plan as I still feel kind of bloated.

Server was exceptional: very brisk and friendly.

Count me as a big fan of Ethiopian food and Demera specifically. Their doro watt is one of the best I've had in Chicago, I love their beet salad and sambusas and they do a damn fine job with seafood, particularly shrimp. Also, most of their veggies are spot on. Not everything is perfect - the beef and lamb preps I've had there have been chewy and gummy. That said, if you know what to order you can have a very fine Ethiopian meal at Demera rivaling anything in Chicago, and perhaps even DC (where I've eaten a lot of Ethiopian food and haven't been particularly impressed).

After learning that Demera is gluten-free friendly a group of six of us Celiac-types made reservations and we'll be eating there in a couple of weeks. I was wondering how the food and service have been since the last post 11 months ago. The other Demera thread has me a bit worried. Also, are there any must order dishes on their menu?

Thanks for any suggestions!

I went here yesterday and am now kicking myself that I didn't think to order an entree to go to make good use of my Groupon, as I was running late by the time I was asking for the check.

I ordered the messob for one with Demera kitfo (rare), michetabish (mild), kay seerena carrot tibs and ye-shrimp tibs. That was probably the best ethopian meal I've had. If it wasn't for all that heavy injera I would have been able to finish it all, but at least now I can revel in the wonder of leftovers. I'm actually saving that for Second Lunch so I can savor it like dessert. The shrimp was probably my favorite; it renewed my love of shrimp that has been lacking for years. The flavors of all the samples, especially the shrimp, beets and spiced beef, were incredibly powerful.

Demera is relatively convenient for me, though I hadn't been there in some time before this past weekend. But though I've always thought the food at Demera is pretty good, I enjoyed this past weekend's meal more than most.

We started with some delicious spinach sambusa, which were hot and crisp and minimally greasy. The spinach filling exploded with flavors of East Africa.

We moved on to the Demera Messob, in which we included three vegetarian dishes: Ye-Shimbra Assa (chickpeas), Gomen (collared greens), Ye-Dinich Ena Carrot Alicha (potatoes and carrots), and three meat/seafood dishes: goden tibs (lamb ribs), one of the cooked beef dishes I cannot recall, and the Ye-Shrimp Wot (shrimp in spicy berbere sauce). I was pleased with almost all of these dishes. The only one that disappointed me a little was the lamb, which was too fatty and overcooked.

But other than the lamb, everything was cooked nicely, In particular, the potatoes, carrots and collared greens were all cooked such that they maintained some texture (as opposed to the vegetable mush I became accustomed to eating in Tanzania), and it was nice to see that the shrimp were not the least bit overcooked. Flavors were nice, fairly aggressively seasoned, and hot sauce on the side was the occasional welcome addition. And of course there was plenty of fresh injera to pick it all up.

Ras Dashen had been my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in Chicago, but I haven't been there in so long so a comparison does not seem fair. And I'll admit that I have minimal exposure to Ethiopian cooking outside of Chicago (well, a couple of nibbles in the lounge at the airport in Addis Ababa). But I was plenty pleased with this dinner at Demera, including the gracious service and full bar.

A Blackboard Eats discount was the impetus for this visit, but I hope that my next visit is not so far off. Also, I couldn't find a link to Demera's website in this thread so here it is, and the website also includes the full menu.