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Addis Red Sea
If it isn't the red velvet curtains, soft lighting, low tables and chairs, and unobtrusive staff that give this place its reputation for romance, then it must be the way they serve the food. You really get to know a person after you've dined together Ethiopian-style, with your hands.
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ADDIS RED SEA
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Where: 544 Tremont St., Boston.
Telephone: 617-426-8727.
Prices: Appetizers $2.95-$5.95, entrees $6.25-$9.95, desserts $2-$3.25.
Good choices: Yebez wot, yasa wot, sambusa.
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m., Sat. noon-11 p.m., Sun. noon-10 p.m.
Noise level: Moderate.
Credit cards: All major cards.
Access: Restrooms not accessible.
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Everyone's entrees are served together on a thin, spongy bread that serves as a plate and utensil. You tear off a piece and wrap it around a bite-size portion; the bread doesn't compromise the flavor. And a vast range of flavor awaits in the fish, chicken, lamb, beef, and vegetarian entrees.
Try the yebez wot ($8.95), sweet and tender pieces of lamb with red pepper, ginger, garlic, and cardamom. A lighter but still hearty choice is yasa wot ($8.95), a white fish stew with herbs, subtly spiced. A good vegetarian option is the garlicky, rich gomen wot ($6.25), collard greens in oil, onions, and peppers.
We loved the way the entrees, portioned out among four of us, slowly soaked the bread. But the blending that occurs when one entree meets another might not appeal to everyone.
The appetizer we liked best was the meat sambusa ($3.95), pastry shells filled with beef and spices, including a strong hint of cumin. But the sambusa with lentils was a bit bland.
An affordable meal is a useful thing these days in the South End, and Addis's prices could make it a Cheap Eats place. But you almost have to get two entrees per diner to fill up. You won't spend a fortune on food or drink, though. Nothing on the wine list is over $20, and there's a nice South African red.
Atmosphere isn't everything, but Addis, in business for 12 years now, could use an upgrade. Try to grab a table near the bar downstairs, which is cozy, lit with neon, and filled with wine bottles.
- Amy Graves
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