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Harrar Cafe -- ethiopian in West Orange NJ

Beth E.

By Beth E.
in New Jersey: Dining

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Rosie

Rosie

Posted
Posted

We went once and thought the food was good and would be a fun place to go with a group. Place is a dive and dirt cheap. The owner was extremely pleasant to talk to.

We had:

Yetimatim Fitfit which was teff injera bread with tomatoes, hot peppers and onions which reminded me of an Italian bread salad.

Lamb cooked in Ethiopian Pot which consisted of lamb chunks from the leg, peppers, tomatoes, and onions in a sauce. This was served with injera bread. Actually everything is served with injera bread and you can fill up on it very fast.

Shiro Wot made with yellow split peas that have been simmered with onions and garlic.

Missir Wot which were lentils in house sauce.

Gomen Wot made with collard greens stewed with shallots, onions, and awaze.

Atkilt Wot which was cabbage, carrots, and potatoes with Abesha herbs.

It sounds like alot but portions are small.

Rosalie Saferstein, aka "Rosie"

TABLE HOPPING WITH ROSIE

rooftop1000

rooftop1000

Posted
Posted

Hmm "dive" and "dirt cheap" my kind of place

T

The great thing about barbeque is that when you get hungry 3 hours later....you can lick your fingers

Maxine

Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

"It is the government's fault, they've eaten everything."

My Webpage

garden state motorcyle association

Curlz

Curlz

Posted
Posted
We went once and thought the food was good and would be a fun place to go with a group. Place is a dive and dirt cheap.

That's all I need to hear! :wink:

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

rooftop1000

rooftop1000

Posted
Posted (edited)

We went, we ate, we were full afterwards.

Nice clean restaurant, good service. We ordered some of everything starting with great app of Sambousus..fried pockets filled with lentils or spinach and cheese, and Yetimatim Fitfit....bread salad with tomatoes, oniuons, and peppers.

Moved on to lamb, beef, chicken, and shrimp, all pretty much the same preparation...stewed. The shrimp was a little fishy but the chicken was great.

We added on the vegetarian sampler...great collards, and then there was the Kitfo.

"Sauteed steak tartar" well it was warm, yet cool, cooked yet raw and sitting in a bowl of clarified butter.

So like I said we left full if slightly confused

tracey

hell its better than Applebees

Edited by rooftop1000 (log)

The great thing about barbeque is that when you get hungry 3 hours later....you can lick your fingers

Maxine

Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

"It is the government's fault, they've eaten everything."

My Webpage

garden state motorcyle association

Curlz

Curlz

Posted
Posted

I was waiting for the pics TOO, but since they (AHEM) don't seem to be showing up, I'll add my two cents.

This was my second experience with Ethiopian food (all in the same week!), so I can now officially say that I like it. :smile:

I agree that the shrimp were fishy--so much so that after the initial bite, we all left that dish behind. Other than that, though, I thought the food at Harrar was very tasty. I love the unusual blend of spices in Ethiopian dishes; any time I've mentioned it, I've told friends that if you like Indian food, you'll like Ethiopian--but they're totally different, if that makes any sense! :wacko: My favorite at Harrar was definitely the lentil-filled sambousas (which came with a mint chutney that was excellent, and a sambal-ish sauce that I didn't try b/c I could see the fire in it). I also loved the lamb dish, which, iirc, was the 'special' lamb cooked in a pot. The beef was terrific as well.

Portions were ample, prices low, and service very nice, but not exactly on the ball. The waiters were the chefs and vice-versa, so if they were busy doing one thing, they weren't doing the other--but don't let that stop you from going! This is definitely a great small spot, and I'll certainly be back.

Now if we just had some pictures...

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

ejebud

ejebud

Posted
Posted

Now if we just had some pictures...

OY the pressure!! I can't handle all the pressure.

Lazyness has set in. could it be because Beth and I haven't stopped eating since our kids went to Florida with my parents on Saturday?

I'll work on it.

President

Les Marmitons-NJ

Johnson and Wales

Class of '85

rooftop1000

rooftop1000

Posted
Posted

They had that part of the menu covered with an Advertisement...dont have that stuff anymore

T

The great thing about barbeque is that when you get hungry 3 hours later....you can lick your fingers

Maxine

Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

"It is the government's fault, they've eaten everything."

My Webpage

garden state motorcyle association

  • 5 months later...
pbrodsky

pbrodsky

Posted
Posted
They had that part of the menu covered with an Advertisement...dont have that stuff anymore

T

When we went a couple of weeks ago, that part of the menu was still there.

Really enjoyed the food.

They told us that they were about to move to South Orange - does anyone know their new address?

Curlz

Curlz

Posted
Posted

According to Table Hopping with Rosie:

Harrar Cafe, previously in West Orange, has relocated to 11 Village Plaza, South Orange (973-761-8777).

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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