awash

awash
2218 18th street NW, washington, dc 20009
tel: 202) 588-8181
hours of operation: mon-sun 11am-2am
happy hour: daily until ... 8?9? buy one beer, get one free

what was consumed: frankly, i don’t remember because all of the names are in ethiopian. but they have some great spicy dishes ... yum! i totally love the bread-y thing that you eat the dishes with. i can’t get enough (seriously). and they have a not-sweet ethiopian beer which i enjoyed the most (of the 3 that they have available, that is).

the first time i came here, i can honestly say it was all in a haze. after spending the full happy hour at l’enfant café (see previous entry), we headed to awash for some late night eating. that is, after going to yet another bar and realizing that all we wanted was to eat. we order a whole bunch of things, though i don’t remember what (not only because all of the names are in ethiopian, but ...). what i DO remember is that they had some really spicy dishes that i couldn’t get off my mind. and the bread-y thing! lightly sour and just the right texture to wrap all of the other dishes. i may not be a fan of eating with my hands, but this first experience with ethiopian food was a total hit! just be careful not to get any of the spicy sauces on your hands because they will definitely stay with you for a while no matter your efforts of removing it. at the same time, maybe you should get the sauce on your hands to be a constant reminder of ethiopian deliciousness!

a number of weeks later, after going to another ethiopian restaurant (that i didn’t enjoy as much as awash) and weeks of craving ethiopian food, i finally got my sister to come out with me to eat ethiopian food. my friend, min, hadn’t really had it before, so it was a great opportunity to reconnect with her and also consume some food that i had been craving. between the bread-y thing and the spicy dishes, there was nothing more that could have satiated my hunger (haha).

so, all of the reviews you read online are pretty true. the place isn’t all fancy; rather, it’s sort of hokey and reminds me of those early chinese/korean restaurants. most of the people look like native ethiopians (though i don’t really know what that is) – english is definitely not their first language (which, actually, is totally cool and a plus, as far as i’m concerned). but the food here is totally great and the chill atmosphere makes this a place i will frequent. besides – they’re open until 2am, giving ample time for inebriation prior to massive ethiopian food consumption. what fun!

update (23 february 2010)
i was just thinking about ethiopian food (which i haven't had in some time - i should go!) and looked back at how my ethiopian preferences have changed. since my initial visits to awash, i haven't really gone back. this is primarily because there are so many ethiopian options in DC. i also went once with a friend who was not a fan of spicy dishes, and was a little bit disappointed with the fare, though their injera was still super delicious. i'll have to make my way back to awash and see if my opinions have changed at all. to be continued!