I love to try new foods from different areas of the world! I was so excited when we went to Michigan and we found an Ethiopian restaurant. I have never had Ethiopian food, but I have always wanted to try it. What more perfect of a place then the Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant!
In the city of Ferndale, Michigan, the Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant is located at 545 West Nine Mile Road. The lady at the front desk of the hotel we were staying at highly suggested this place to eat at. So we thought we would try it out. We have no Ethiopian restaurants anywhere near where we live, so it was new and exciting to both me and my husband.
The decorations inside are very bright and colorful. From the ceiling there were numerous umbrellas hanging upside down of all different colors. On the walls they had different authentic pieces of African art from masks to paintings to wood carvings. Everything was so colorful and added a lot of excitement to the atmosphere.
You can either sit at a regular booth, or a small round table. Then around the table they have chairs that sit really low and four more very small tables big enough to hold your drink on. I guess with Ethiopian food, that everyone in your party shares off of one plate. So whatever you order gets placed on the round table in front of you and everyone takes off of there to eat.
The meals are all you can eat and you can either choose from a meat dish or from a vegetarian dish. We picked the meat dish. On there we got Doro Wat, which is chicken simmered in an herbed butter and onions, the Yebeg Alecha which is lamb simmered in the same thing, and the Zilzil Wat which is beef strips cook the same way.
Then we also got plenty of vegetables too. We had Gomen (chopped greens), Tekil Gomen (cabbage), Mixed Vegetables, Metin Shiro Wat (yellow split peas), Yemisir Kik Wat (split red yentils), and Defen Yemisir Alecha (lentils) that were all cooked in onions, jalapeno peppers, different spices and niter kibbe herbed butter. The vegetables were all very bright and colorful on the platter. They really looked impressive arranged on the platter they served.
Then it also came with great tasting bread called injera that was served underneath the food. It had a very tangy taste to it and I thought it looked like a flour tortilla. I really liked it. It is made with no dairy products, eggs or shortening. Traditionally you are supposed to use small pieces of the bread to pick up your food. But if you want to use utensils, you can ask your server for some. But it is too much fun to eat with your hands in public! They give you a steaming washcloth before and after the meal to wipe your hands with. So as long as it is appropriate here, you might as well use your hands! The longer the food sat onthe injera, the more flavor it picked up from the juices of all the meat and vegetables.
The food was really tasty! It had such an amazing flavor to each different item I tried. Like I said this was the first time I tried Ethiopian food, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Then I had to try a glass of Ethiopian honey wine with the meal! I didn’t care for it much but my husband liked it. It was too sweet for me, but at least I tried it.
The restaurant also offers four separate dining rooms for your entire private party needs any where up to 120 people. Whether it is for a business meeting, holiday party, wedding reception or any other special occasion, the Blue Nile can help you out with feeding your group an amazing and unforgettable meal. I think this would be a new and exciting place to hold any kind of get together.
The cost for the all you can eat meat platter is $17.90 and for the Vegetarian platter it was $14.90. It is well worth it for the amazing mouth watering food that they serve you! They offer lower prices for the children also depeding on what age they are. It may be a litlle too spicey for some kids though, so make sure your kids like that type of food before you take them here.
The atmosphere was fun and vibrant; our server was amazing, and the food to die for! My first experience with Ethiopian food was a success. I would recommend this place highly to others. It will be hard for the next Ethiopian restaurant I go to, to top the experience I had at the Blue Nile!
