Mama Desta's Red Sea

This is an African Restaurant on Clark. I am going for a work function tonight. Has anyone been?

Mama Desta's Red Sea
3218 N. Clark St.
(773) 935-7561.

kafein wrote:This is an African Restaurant on Clark. I am going for a work function tonight. Has anyone been?

Mama Desta's Red Sea
3218 N. Clark St.
(773) 935-7561.

It's Ethiopian - very different from other African cuisines. Been there forever (well, at least 20 years). I haven't been recently, and I'm no expert on Ethiopian food, but I remember it as being reliable. Enjoy the injera!

We abandoned Mama Desta's as our source for Ethiopian a few years ago in favor of Ethiopian Diamond. Primarily because the service was awful. Waitstaff would disappear for long stretches, almost to the point of being comical. The food was always good, all the basic Ethiopian staples.

According to the Reader ED is closed, as is Addis Abeba.

I am an Ethiopian food newbie and I am going with a vegetarian...what's good to order?

I am glad to see Ethiopian Diamond mentioned. In planning an Ethiopian dinner with friends, I asked an Ethiopian colleague who is promiment in the local community where to go, he immediately said Ethiopian Diamond. So we went, and I thought we would have an "in" by using his name to make sure we had a good and authentic meal, since it had been many years since I had eaten Ethiopian, and then only a handful of times.

When we arrived with our friends, it turned out that the family that owns and runs Ethiopian Diamond were long-time friends of hers that she had lost touch with due to several moves, phone changes, etc. She had eaten in their home many times before they were in the restaurant business and could attest to the skill level of the cooking. So there's full disclosure on both fronts.

We had an excellent meal, and while there was visiting to catch up on, I did not think service at other tables suffered as a result. Given the number of Ethiopians eating in, and my recollections of prior Ethiopian meals (decent, but not nearly this good), I would heartily recommend Ethiopian Diamond.

It is also a very pleasant space, and they have an interesting assortment of African beers, which we shared as much as the food.

The kitfo was outstanding, and this is a dish (minced raw beef) I would not order unless I had real confidence in the kitchen. Also a chicken dish that comes with a hard-boiled egg was very good, and the collards were great. We had other things, and all were more than good, but those were the ones that really stuck in my mind. We ordered too much food, so there was a certain amount of competition among us to each get our share of the really stellar dishes before someone else:-)

They have live music at some times, as well, and it is a very nice space. I look forward to returning.

kafein wrote:I am an Ethiopian food newbie and I am going with a vegetarian...what's good to order?

Ethiopian places usually have a meat-based combination and a vegetarian combination available, which would let each of you sample a range of dishes.

Here is Mama Desta's menu, from Amazon.

[quote="kafein"]According to the Reader ED is closed, as is Addis Abeba.

quote]

I live around the corner from ED and note that reports of its demise are greatly exaggerated. It remains open, 7 days a week, and remains our top choice for Ethiopian food (and not just for the convenience of its location).

Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant and Lounge
6120 N. Broadway
773-338-6100

Pardon me, but the Reader didn't report that Ethiopian Diamond is closed--it's alive and well, as you say. Kafein is probably thinking of Ethiopian Village, which has closed and which was reported as such.

I can also recommend Ras Dashen on Broadway for Ethiopian. Service was kind of slow there too, but food was quite good. Lots of vegetarian options, including fresh cheese, curry-like chickpea dishes, and more.

My bad - regarding Ethiopian Diamond, I was thinking of Ethiopian Village. My apologies.

Mama Desta's was pretty good. The service is slow - but I think they make everything to order.

We had Sambusas - A chickpea mash filled empanada type dish - Very tasty.

We shared the Hot (spicy) combo platter and the Alitcha Combo Platter.

With this we had the Okra (Bamyi) - very good - not at all slimey, Mushrooms - Also good - Sauteed with garlic and butter, Lentils(Yesmin) and Yellow Split pea (Metin-Shiro Wat) dishes - I found both of the bean dishes bland and mushy.

The Zilzil Wat was the best of the meat dishes - tender flank steak in a spicy red sauce. The Doro Alitcha a close second - Tender chicken that was reminiscent of a Green Curry.

All of these were served with Injera - more than enough to go around.

My 19 mo thoroughly enjoyed the Sambusas and the Doro Alitcha.

Overall - I would try Ethiopian food again - but would take everyone's advice and try another place for comparison.

Mama Desta's Red Sea
3216 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 935-7561

Mama Desta's was the first Ethiopian restaurant I'd eaten at. It was about fifteen or so years ago, with a bunch of friends, and a lot of jokes about getting expecting to be served one pea and one grain of rice. It was novel back then, and I've had Ethiopian food a few times since, notably Ras Dashen and Addis Abeba in the Chicago area, and at least once elsewhere, I think.

We were in the Belmont/Clark neighborhood last night for Joe Jackson at the Vic, and with Ethiopia relatively fresh in our minds from the "Lucy" exhibit in Houston, it sounded like a good idea.

The biggest issue, I think, is atmosphere. How can a place painted inside in primary colors look drab? I don't know, but it does. There are few tables, and it looks empty and dull. Didn't help set the mood. There were only two other tables occupied while we were there (only one other for most of the time).

The menu is much more limited than, say, Addis Abeba, missing items such as fresh cheese which was a favorite of ours at other places. There are fewer explanations of the items, and the "Dinners for Two" have several dishes not listed elsewhere on the menu.

We had the Dinner for Two #2 ($35.95). It featured a lamb and a chicken dish (I think one was a Tibs the other a Wat), cabbage, lentils and spinach. It came with soup (a tasty, though salty veggie soup), and choice of appetizer. Our Sambusas were OK -- a little charred on the exterior and perhaps overly bready, but I don't know what's standard for this dish.

The meat dishes were tasty and spicy but dry: perhaps excusable at the end of the evening, but not at 6PM. The veggies were the better items: the spinach full of garlic, the lentils nicely spiced, and the cabbage crunchy and flavorful. The injera (the big spongy flatbread for those not in the know) is among the best I've had: soft, smooth and nicely sour. Dessert was some kind of "custard" that tasted kind of cheesecakey, with straw- and raspberries, very good.

This neighborhood isn't known for great chow, and unfortunately, Mama Desta's can't do much to improve that status. I'd go to the other locations listed above first... but we could use other suggestions for the neighborhood of The Alley, The Vic, Blue Man, etc. There's a row of restos on Belmont of Ann Sather's, Standard India Restaurant, a falafel place... any of those worthwhile?

[edit -- blessed be the moderators who merged my thread. I did search for "Desta" and the board failed me]

It looks like the Ethiopian pioneer Mama Desta's Red Sea has closed.