Pamela's (again!) and Abay

I feel like I've been a complete disappointment in the blog department, lately. I apologize for my lack of blogging from the very bottom of my heart. I haven't neglected all of you intentionally, it just takes a lot of time to write a good post and time is something I've been rather short of, so blogging hasn't been first on my to-do list. But alas, I have finally carved out a few moments to catch you guys up on my recent adventures in Pittsburgh. (And with the bus system here, they're definitely adventures.)

A few weekends ago, we made the treck back to Pamela's. (It's amazing how much walking we do here!) It was busy as usual, but our party of six was seated in no time.

Although the hotcakes are a favorite of mine, it was time for a change.

As the portions are so big, my friend and I decided to split the California French toast, topped with bananas, and a side of the potatoes.

The bananas were MIA, so we had to ask for them again

The french toast great! Can we just assume at this point that Pamela's does everything really well? I mean, French toast is really simple, yet theirs was so yummy. I definitely couldn't have eaten a whole order, either, so it was a good thing that Su and I split it.

Everyone left very happy and very full.

That evening, Su and I went out to dinner. We'd been planning to go to a place called Six Penn, but when our friend Jack recommended this little Ethiopian restaurant he'd just tried, called Abay (pronounced uh-by) we couldn't resist.

We took the bus down to the restaurant, eager to see what it would be like. Neither of us had ever tried Ethiopian cuisine and we weren't really sure what to expect.

The inside of the restaurant was decorated in warm, earthy colors. African paintings hung on the walls in wooden-twig-like frames. Hip-hop music played in the background (an unexpected choice for an Ethiopian restaurant) and from the kitchen, you could hear the faint sound of rap music. (Thanks to Su for remembering all of finer details!) 

A row of tiny chairs and tables caught my eye from across the room. You can see one in the picture above. They were adorable, but also somewhat confusing. For what purpose could you possibly use them? Turns out they're backless, handmade stools and mesobs- traditional basket-like tables. I would imagine that people can sit and eat there, but no one was taking advantage of that opportunity while we were there. Next time, though, I might like to give it a try. Nothing like being authentic, right? 

We were seated at a large wooden table and greeted by a friendly waitress who gladly took us through the menu, explaining about Ethiopian food as she went along. 

Apparently Ethiopian food is traditionally eaten off of bread called injera. The injera at Abay is made in Washington, D.C. (shout out to Maryland!!) and brought up daily. Seems like quite a process. But, hey, if that's what it takes to get some good injera, I'm definitely not complaining. 

Since neither of us had any clue as to what to choose, the combination platter seemed like the best bet. We chose four dishes that came served atop a huge pan of injera. 

It was bigger than my head!

The foods beginning at the top and moving clockwise were kale, collard greens, finely ground chickpeas, split peas, and lentils, and chicken breast in a stew sauce. 

Our waitress offered us utensils and plates, of which we only took the latter. I was getting the feeling that eating with your hands was going to be half of the fun... and it was. 

The process went something like this. You would rip off a piece of injera (initially from the rolled up one on the side, and then from the flat one after you'd used up the first) fold the injera around one of the  foods, pop it in your mouth and then voila! 

There's something very nostalgic about eating with your hands, especially when you're with friends. It brings you closer to the food, to each other, and makes the meal that much more delicious. I think the whole process also forces you to enjoy each bite of food even more. You're putting in so much effort, you really just have to stop and realize how wonderful everything tastes. 

For dessert, we went for the seasonal special, a Pumpkin Sambussa with Caramel Apple ice cream. Both Su and I agreed that the ice cream may have overshadowed the sambussa  a little bit, but it was all delicious! 

Sambussa are little pockets of phyllo dough with some sort of filling. In keeping with the season, ours was pumpkin, and it was actually very good! It almost tasted like a pumpkin pie remix. The dough functioned as a sort of crust, and the filling was faintly reminiscent of pie filling. 

The one problem I had was cutting into the Sambussa with my spoon. The dough was flaky, but just slightly too tough to cut through with the dull edge of a spoon. Nevertheless, we prevailed. I might recommend eating it with your fingers, though. It would just be more convenient. 

As a side note, if you're feeling adventurous, you can do what my friend Jack did when he visited. After his meal, he pulled out a plantain and asked the waiter if the chef could do something with it. Accepting the challenge, the chef produced an apparently very delicious fried plantain dish with ice cream. So, if you're feeling up to it, you might want to BYOP (bring your own plantain) and see what happens. 

At the end of the evening, we left Abay content, but not uncomfortably full, either. Su and I had a blast trying all of the new Ethiopian dishes. It was a little culinary adventure, and a welcome escape from the stress of college life.