Before choir warm-ups, I went up State Street for some dinner. There were number of things going on downtown in addition to the usual Saturday night crowd, including the WIAA High School Football State Championship. Needless to say, State was crawling with people. I wanted to avoid a repeat of last night's restaurant hell, so I picked a place that, while excellent, would probably not be full of drunkards (and would check off one more restaurant from my Ethnic Food Adventure list)>
Buraka's charming little basement establishment. Buraka serves African food, and has long had a popular food cart on library mall during nice weather. I have never eaten there, though, given that while I was in school I was too poor to buy lunch, and too impatient to stand in the looooooong lines the cart would accrue. Having now eaten at Buraka, I weep for the fact that it took me this long to get there.
I tried the Chicken Peanut Stew, served on injera, an Ethiopian flatbread. The stew was sweet and spicy, but not so spicy as to burn my mouth. The chicken and the potatoes came in large, savory chunks, and the peanut sauce was neither to thick nor too thin. The injera had a pleasant tartness, almost lemony, which wonderfully offset the spice of the stew. I ordered cranberry juice to drink, and was pleased to receive a nice pint glass full of iced juice, rather than the dinky shot glasses some restaurants provide. (I was tempted by the ginger beer, and by the Ting grapefruit soda, but carbonation does not make a good pre-concert beverage.)
The portiona were just large enough to leave me feeling absolutely stuffed, without becoming wasteful. The prices were reasonable, as the most expensive entree is about $10.
The atmosphere was unfancy, yet tidy and well-ordered. Though the space was small and windowless, the table arrangement kept it from becoming claustrophobic, and the lighting was subdued without being dark. The waitstaff was prompt and friendly, and even the music and the other patrons made for an enjoyable dining experience.
I will definately go back, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a change of pace from burgers, pizza, and noodles.
