Cafe Colucci

So my dining companion and I stopped by Café Colucci last week, Wednesday and I hesitated to write –my bad- I know you foodies crave your reviews! But I’m back and I must tell you that though I’d been to the quaint little place before; I did not enjoy the full richness of what the restaurant had to offer in my previous trek out there.

It’s a small yet cute space in Berkeley at the Oakland border and it’s close to the highway as well as various shops with a few bars, for those of you who like to have drinks after dinner!

The wait staff was truly attentive, seating us right away; away from what seemed like community tables in the center of the dining area escorting us to a little corner of the place giving us space for conversation without the disturbance of crowded tables with small children on either side.

There were a few large parties there with kids so the place is definitely family friendly and we had a great time as the hostess was friendly and warm and two (yes two) waitresses waited on us, leaving us feeling as though we needed nothing but the food to come out—and boy did it ever come out!

The menu is extensive; a lot more detail and variety than that of my FAV East African restaurant “Red Sea”. The spices were fully explained and illustrated and the options to have them mild, medium or hot were completely optional. I thought it was really cool to be able to understand the menu and order according to my own tastes. The back of the menu was equipped with definitions and allowed the diner to make an informed choice about what they were consuming.

We ordered the Meat Sambussas as a starter and they came to the table piping hot, fried very crispy with spiced meat and aromatics on a bed of lettuce with a chunky, zesty hot sauce as a condiment. One bite and I was in ghetto heaven (smile).

For the main event, we ordered both the Kitfo Special and the Begue Wot (family style). They came arranged beautifully on the large platter for two with plenty of injera, yellow lentils, collard greens, and green salad.

The Kitfo is a traditional delicacy of minced beef tossed in sweet clarified butter and spices and usually served raw, though we ordered it very rare for texture and increased flavor this time around. The special version includes aromatics such as sautéed onions and peppers. It was extraordinary and the cardamom really made it “special” as the fragrance wafted over my palate like a fervent note from a finely tuned violin. Yes I went there. It was accompanied by Ayeb; a creamy Ethiopian cheese made from butter and milk; remnant of mascarpone. The balance of the two, spicy meat and cool cheese, with the sour taste of the flat bread was simply delightful.

The Begue Wot (lamb shank and cubes) was a hot little number with a sauce the color of dark “D.C. Brick” and a flavor I couldn’t quite describe. I don’t usually eat hot food, as I have not graduated to the advance level of professional chilism, but this was different. There was no contact response to the spice. Instead it was a slow gradual progression that urged you to try it with the cool lettuce leaves of the salad and have more wine. It was quite the pleasant chili experience and the wine did do the job. Very tasty—period. My dining companion commented more than once on the complexity of this dish and I think reveled in the taste of East Africa (smile)—I think he could relate to the style of this dish as it was probably something close to the stewed meats they would serve in his home land, Honduras!

Here they offered Tej (honey wine) in two forms; sweet and dry; and I ordered the sweet this time-which was a new experience for me. I usually have the dry and I have to admit that I like it more, though the sweet did lend something really great to the Kitfo.

All in All it was a great dining excursion and the restaurant manager did not hesitate to honor our certificate from the diner’s club even though we came a bit shy of the purchase minimum. The value here was amazing and you can have a great dinner for two with appetizers and drinks for $30-35 bucks! Go see them—they deserve a spot on your best of the best lists!

Eat Well
http://www.cafecolucci.com/