Updated: Unfortunately, Ethiopian Restaurant has closed permanently.

We both grew up in the Cooperstown, NY area. Now, if you’ve ever been to Cooperstown, you know it’s a very small town surrounded by even smaller towns and lots of fields. Sure, there were a few smallish cities not too far away but in general Cooperstown is the epitome of small town America. Small towns have a lot of advantages, and we both have fond memories of growing up in one. However, if you’re looking for ethnic cuisine, then you’re probably not going to find it in a small town. After all, Cooperstown didn’t even have a Chinese restaurant until the early 1990s (and then oddly, all of a sudden, it had two).

Which is why one of the things we really value about living in Fort Wayne is the large array of ethnic dining to be found. We both love trying new things, plus we’ve found that if you really want to learn about a culture the two most direct routes for doing so are through its music and its food. So, as you might imagine, we were delighted to read about the opening of the Ethiopian Restaurant a few months ago and wanted to visit it right away. As things usually work out though, one thing led to another, and “right away” ended up being four months later. Honestly though, after tasting Ethiopian Restaurant’s food, we’re sad we waited so long.

We finally found our way to E State Blvd and Ethiopian Restaurant a couple of Saturdays back and were happily surprised to find it packed and everybody looked as if they were enjoying their food. Ethiopian Restaurant is a family affair run by Girma and Genet Hussen who were both on hand taking orders, serving, and guiding uninformed diners through the menu. The family atmosphere is appropriate to the Ethiopian eating experience. It’s a social thing, with everyone at the table sharing a communal plate, scooping up the food with pieces of injera bread. Ah, the injera! It’s the defining element in the Ethiopian equation. If you like it (or, in Catherine’s case, want to marry it), it’s the perfect medium for the food and if you don’t like it, well, that’s a problem.

We decided to order the Doro Wat (a chicken dish with a drumstick and a hard boiled egg) because Catherine had had it in the past and knew it was a sure thing, the Yesiga Wat (a sweet beef stew seasoned with ginger and simmered in berbere sauce) and the Gomen (fresh collard greens sauteed with garlic and ginger). Our order was served, as is the tradition, on a large piece of injera along with Tikl Gomen (a lightly spiced cabbage), assorted vegetables and boiled potatoes. Plenty of injera was also provided on the side. Quite frankly, Leo wasn’t wild about the meal. Having never had Ethiopian cuisine before, he wasn’t sure what to expect. While he quite enjoyed the stews and veggies, he just couldn’t find it within himself to love the injera in quite the same way as Catherine does.

Catherine, on the other hand, couldn’t have been more pleased with the meal. After a long hiatus, she had just eaten at an Ethiopian restaurant in NYC and found the Fort Wayne venue to be completely on a par. The doro wat, her standby, was mildly spicy and delicious and the beef dish which Leo chose was unexpectedly good. It was also on the spicy side and very tender. The collard greens, however, were another point of contention. Initially we both found them overly bitter, but they grew on Leo as the meal went on. Catherine though could have done without them.

While Catherine and Leo were divided on the food, they were happily united on the dark and potent coffee.It had a robust, woodsy flair and reminded us of a very smooth espresso. The meal was certainly enhanced by Genet’s artful performance of the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony which involved the burning of copal while she roasted and ground the beans and then brewed the coffee. Not your usual cup o’ joe.

Overall, Ethiopian Restaurant is a place we’d recommend. It’s true that Ethiopian cuisine may not be for everyone, but you owe it to yourself to expand your horizons and give it a try. You also owe it to the community to support and celebrate the wide variety of ethnic food options that are available to us in the Fort. Admittedly, the decor is spartan. Still, don’t be put off by its unassuming appearance. Ethiopian Restaurant provides a window into a rich culture beyond its suburban strip mall facade. Four out of five garlic bulbs.

Ethiopian Restaurant
2805 East State Boulevard
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
(260) 483-9787
Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Thursday: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday & Saturday: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Sunday: 11:00 am – 8:30 pm
($6.99 lunch special every Tuesday – Friday)

This review was co-authored by Catherine and Leo.

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Because I am wildly boring and always order the same thing, I can only describe the small ocean perch dinner ($5.99) which comes with four pieces of fish, French fries, the teeniest cup of coleslaw you’ve ever seen and two pieces of white bread. The white bread is there, I believe, to soak up the grease. The dog highly recommends it. The fish is prepared “Chicago style” according to the menu and, with its corn meal breading, is light and crunchy and just greasy enough to make you feel good without feeling guilty. The kids always get the small chicken tenders dinner ($5.99) which comes with five pieces of chicken and the same sides as the fish. It is always devoured enthusiastically within minutes of hitting the house.

I almost forgot to mention the hot sauce. They give you plenty of it and I recommend using it generously (even my daughter likes it – but not my son, of course, he sticks with ketchup). Sorry I can’t be of help with other specific menu items, but the nice gentleman who was trying to pick me up while I waited did speak highly of the catfish.

Since I couldn’t quit raving to poor Leo about how much I had enjoyed my fish fry, he persuaded me to go back again the following Monday. In a truly dazzling demonstration of a complete lack of adventurousness, we ordered the perch and chicken tenders combo ($7.99 gets you three pieces of fish, three pieces of chicken, the usual sides and a can of pop!). We rounded this out with an order of the best frickin’ onion rings I’ve had in ages and a piece of red velvet cake. The cake was slightly stale and unexciting (it wasn’t deep fried, after all!). Next time, we’ll just get two orders of onion rings.

To sum it up, Ya Boy is an excellent place to get fried fish at a very reasonable price. You will have to wait about ten to fifteen minutes for your order, but it is well worth it. And if you’re ever adventurous enough to try to catfish nuggets and chicken gizzards combo, lemme know how that works for you!

4 out of 5 garlic bulbs. The yummy fish certainly deserves five, but the establishment could be cleaner.

Ya Boy Fish & Chicken
4304 S Anthony Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46806
(260) 744-5200
Monday – Thursday • 10am – 12am
Friday & Saturday • 10am – 2am
Sunday • 11am – 11pm

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Our strategy to beat the crowds by coming for lunch worked out beautifully with only a handful of other families there enjoying their meal when we arrived. Of course, we missed out on the opportunity to partake of the complimentary Magna Doodles provided for those guests with limited attention spans because the friendly wait-staff promptly took our order. We decided to go with the Toasted Ravioli for starters, followed up by splitting one of Casa’s famous salads. For our main course, Catherine sacrificed her favorite Melanzane Parmigiano for the good of the cause and ordered the Capellini Con Funghi Fresca. Meanwhile, Leo had the Rigatoni Carne Al Forno. Since we knew we were going to feast on Mexican candy and cheap wine later (you’ll learn about that soon enough) we decided to stick with water and pass on dessert, but the Quadruple Chocolate Mousse Pie was tempting.

We both enjoyed the Toasted Ravioli, a decidedly kid-friendly dish. It’s not too filling, with a mild flavor that doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the meal. Casa Salad is, needless to say, famous in the Fort and the dressing, which you can buy in the foyer, deserves all the accolades accorded to it. However, both of us thought the salad was a bit too dressing drenched for its own good. Not that we minded.

Catherine was delighted with her bold departure from Casa tradition. The capellini had great mushroom flavor (pleasing both Catherine and Leo who can’t get enough of either mushrooms or garlic) and there was just enough of the light, olive oil based sauce for the mushrooms and pasta to play happily together. Leo enjoyed his baked rigatoni, sausage and pepperoni but he did think it was a little too salty, although not overbearingly so. This seemed like the kind of dish your little, old Italian grandmother would make for you, should you be so lucky as to have one.

With the check coming to less than $25 this was, quite simply, a superior meal. While it would be easy to talk solely about the food, a big part of the Casa appeal is the atmosphere. The decor pulls off the remarkable feat of going right up to the line of kitsch without crossing it. The effect is a warm and charming setting which is out of the ordinary yet completely comfortable. We both left Casa’s with the sense that it was an hour well filled with good food and content in the knowledge that this dependably pleasant experience is only ever a few blocks away (no matter where you are in Fort Wayne). Five out of five garlic bulbs.

Casa D’Angelo
3402 Fairfield Avenue
Fort Wayne, IN 46807
260-745-7200
Monday – Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Closed Sunday
http://casa4pasta.com

This review was co-authored by Catherine and Leo

Updated: Some of you are coming here looking for a recipe for Casa salad. While we can’t provide you with the actual recipe we think this one is pretty close:  DIY Casa salad.

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