Blue Nile: go ahead, eat with your hands
Blue Nile Ethiopian restaurant at 2361 North High Street is a culinary adventure I highly recommend. The spices and flavors of the food are hearty and warming, perfect for winter dining, but don’t expect any utensils. Dishes are made with meats, lentils, potato and other vegetables commonly found in Indian and other cuisines. There is no rice, only a unique form of pancake-like sourdough bread. The unique way the food is served and eaten by hand, socially significant in Ethiopian culture, truly enhances the experience. Some people will not like the group dining encounter or eating with their hands (my British parents wouldn’t dream of it — but then again, they eat pizza with a knife and fork, so they’re a little odd). I found the eating-by-hand thing a little unusual at first, but soon found it to be a fun and different dining experience.
I’ve eaten here three times now and find it especially fun with a group. The combination specials, available as vegetarian platters or standard meat-lovers fare, are the best option so you can try as many dishes as possible. All of the entrees are served together on a large tray or platter and you eat them by dipping and “pinching” bits of food using Ethiopian bread called Injera. The bread is unlike anything else I’ve tried — it has a uniquely soft, spongy, porous quality. I have to admit, I horrified my fellow diners once by musing out loud that the injera feels somewhat akin to what I’d imagine human flesh to be like as a menu item. But please don’t let that little observation put you off Ethiopian dining. ;)
To recite a bit from Blue Nile’s Web sites, www.bluenileohio.com or www.ethiopiancuisine.com, the injera bread is made out of cereal, wheat and corn flours and is used to pinch a bite-sized portion of food. Eating around a common tray and by hand is considered to create a bond of friendship or personal loyalty between diners. Ethiopian lore says that people who eat from the same plate (Mosseb) will never betray one another. I wouldn’t recommend sharing a meal like this with someone unless you’re absolutely certain they wash their hands after sneezing or using the bathroom.
I’d like to recommend some specific menu items, but it’s hard to know which items are which when you get the combo platters. I really liked a yellow-colored dish made from split peas or lentils — I think this might be the Kik Alicha. The cabbage dish, which I believe is called Tikil Gomen, is also excellent. The meat dishes are very tasty, whether chicken, lamb and beef. Several of the meat dishes come with a hard boiled egg on top. The Kitfo ground meat dish is quite spicy, and the mild cheese accompaniment is a perfect counterbalance. The folks at Blue Nile are very generous with the injera bread and will gladly bring you more if you need it, but we’ve typically not needed seconds as they give you so much to begin with.
Price-wise, two can eat here for under $30 or more with alchohol. However, with a group the prices can seem to jump up sharply, so be careful you know what you are ordering. We asked our server to put together a combination platter for a group of eight recently and everyone ended up paying far more than we would if each couple had gotten a simple combination platter for two. I think this is because they gave us more entree choices so we could try more things — but it could be a concern for someone on a budget. Stick to the combination platters on the menu if you don’t want surprises when the bill comes. Still, it was a fantastic meal and we felt like we got to try most everything on the menu, so I can’t really complain. If you like Indian food and other mild to medium spiced cuisines, definitely give Blue Nile and Ethiopian food a try.
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Related Tags: blue nile • nyctransplant • restaurants • review • University District • vegetarian
November 20th, 2006 at 11:37 am
Sounds fun!
November 20th, 2006 at 6:33 pm
Note for the unfamiliar: The Blue Nile is not to be confused with the Blue Danube, at 2439 N. High St., a block and a half to the north.
November 20th, 2006 at 8:39 pm
Ha! Yeah, totally different places. :lol:
November 20th, 2006 at 9:46 pm
Given that I haven’t been to this spot since I went to OSU and that was 7 years ago, I really loved the food there. I actually saw the place for a long time before going in. Maybe it was the idea that an Ethiopian restaurant seemed kind of ironic to me. Growing up in the 80’s we all have certain images blazed into our minds about Ethiopia and good food doesn’t really pop into one’s mind when thinking about the country. After years of passing this spot by I finally went inside to see what exactly Ethiopian food was like, and man I’m glad I did!!
The closest food like Ethiopian would most likely be Indian food, but it’s still very different!! The Ethiopian bread called Injera is great, I loved using it to scoop up all the spicy goodness down to the last drop!! I did enjoy all the spices and even dessert was good with some sort of pudding. I was a vegetarian at the time so I can’t comment on the meat dishes there, but ALL the veggie stuff there rocked, and there was a good choice of Veggie dishes to choose from.
I know that the place also looks like an old house and yeah don’t expect anything too fancy. But you should give this place a try sometime for a change of pace. They had a great buffet that I would get for lunch and it was a pretty good deal from what I can remember.
Anyway cheers for the review, I now HAVE to stop there next time I’m in town, thanks for reminding me!!!! 8)
November 21st, 2006 at 12:03 am
Does this sound like a drug to anyone else?
November 26th, 2006 at 10:53 pm
I love the Blue Nile. I go there often with my husband. The owner always recognizes us and gives us a special welcome. They have a buffet at lunch for those who are interested in trying many different things. For dinner we always get the veg combo. So yummy! If you like a little extra heat, ask for a side of berbere sauce for dipping.
My only criticism is that the place could use a refresher in the atmosphere. Messy newspapers in bins, a glass case near the window and tired paint on the walls make the entrance and bar room seem old and unkempt.
The food is delicious there and it is fun to eat at the little basket type tables, but the decor in the entray room could really use a face lift.
November 27th, 2006 at 8:50 am
Whenever I pass this place I can’t help but recall the scene from Indiana Jones when they’re eating with those tribal people before taking off into the jungle. Num num che bah num num che bah.
But really…I’m sure it’s good…I do like spicy.
November 27th, 2006 at 10:42 am
Hahaha that scene always grossed me out. Every disgusting thing you could imagine was on that table!!!
Everytime I drive by that place I’m gonna think of that scary priest now. Thanks a lot! :lol:
November 27th, 2006 at 10:46 am
WELCOME TO THE BLUE NILE!
November 27th, 2006 at 11:06 am
haha… thats my new desktop!
November 27th, 2006 at 11:25 am
KALI MA!! KALI MA!!
November 27th, 2006 at 11:28 am
OMG that is so wrong, it’s right.