Mesob Recognized in Zagat 2011/2012 Restaurant Survey

We are so proud after almost 8 years in business in Montclair, NJ, to not only be included in the latest Zagat Guide, but we have been recognized for excellence.

We received a letter in the mail yesterday, signed by Nina and Tim Zagat.  The letter reads:

“Dear Restaurant Owner,
Congratulations!  We are pleased to tell you that Mesob has been highly rated in our recently published Zagat Survey 2011/12 Restaurants guide.  The enclosed complimentary Certificate and Zagat Rated window decal reflect this honor.  Since the guide is based entirely on the collective opinions of thousands of avid consumers, this recognition really comes from your customers.”

The survey was released yesterday, which gathers 6,909 New Jersey diners' opinions about 1,050 restaurants around the state.

Our Mesob Zagat Survey listing says, "Finger food never felt so refined” as at this Montclair Ethiopian BYO where the “exotic,” “made-with-care” specialties can be scooped up with spongy injera bread; “informative” service and a “cool,” “calm,” “high-ceilinged” setting enhanced the “classy: mood at this “nice break from the standard.”

The review highlighted our home-made injera, a sponge-like bread made daily at the Montclair restaurant.

We also received high ratings for “informative” service.  Education is a strong value to us, and we train our Ethiopian and Eritrean staff members to educate diners and answer any questions they may have about Ethiopian food and culture.  Have you checked our QR Codes, that show you videos of Ethiopian food being prepared, and our traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony?

Being included in the Zagat Survey was a huge achievement for us.  We have felt welcomed in our local Montclair community and by our very loyal customers and friends.  Thank you for all who helped us be recognized for this honor, that we have wanted for so long! J

Ethiopians in America - Living the Dream

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<br/>Ethiopian American Community History

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PHOTO: Lights out this evening at Mesob for Earth Day

This evening, from 7-9 pm, Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant turned off the dining room lights in honor of Earth Day.  And gave out free bags of teff seeds to customers.  What did YOU do to be green on this find Earth Day?

Teff - A gluten-free wonder food!

At Mesob, we use teff in making our Ethiopian crepe-like bread, injera.  Teff seed is the world's smallest grain. Each tiny seed is packed with a powerhouse of nutrition. Teff seed is gluten-free and high in protein, minerals, and complex carbohydrates. You can purchase teff online as well as in a growing number of specialty retailers.

The most important cereal in our native Ethiopia, teff grass is a highly nutritious and reliable crop. At 9 to 14 percent protein, it contains all eight essential amino acids. Most of the grain is made up of bran and germ, making it especially high in fiber and a good source of carbohydrates on the low-glycemic index.  This makes teff an excellent choice for regulating blood sugar levels and preventing type II diabetes. Adding teff seeds to your daily diet can act as nutritional insurance.

As a gluten-free wheat substitute, teff seed can be ground into flour or consumed whole, as is.   It has a sweet, nutty flavor that makes it a pleasant addition to any recipe - breads, muffins, even soups. The mild flavor and thickening properties of teff seed make it an ideal ingredient for a number of applications. When ground into flour, teff can be used in place of wheat flour in many recipes. Whole teff seeds can be used in much the same way as millet, poppy seeds, or barley. Try the following ideas to get you started cooking with teff: 

·        Combine one part teff seeds to three parts water and cook on the stovetop to make a thick and hearty soup. Sprinkle with cinnamon (or berbere).  Top off with fresh fruit and roasted nuts. One cup of uncooked teff prepared this way will provide 62 percent of your daily intake of dietary fiber.

·        Make nutritious vegan burgers combining cooked teff seeds with chopped onions and garlic, together with fresh herbs.  Shape the mixture into patties and brush with olive oil.  Grill lightly on both sides. Serve on a gluten-free bun with lettuce and tomatoes.

·        Stir seeds in soups and stews to add thickness, flavor and nutrition.

·        Add seeds to muffins, pancakes, waffles and other baked goods by stirring them into the batter or sprinkling on top as a garnish.

At Mesob, we can make 100% teff injera upon request.  You must call a day in advance.  Our homemade everyday injera does contain wheat and barley.  This is because the environmental conditions in Montclair, NJ  (including humidity and daily temperature) makes 100% teff flour injera more time consuming to prepare, ferment, and cook.  But if you call ahead, we will definitely make it for you!

Despite its wide variety of applications and power-packed nutritional profile, teff is still not widely available. If you are lucky enough to live near an ethnic market, good health food store or specialty grocer, look for teff seed alongside other gluten-free products.

If teff is not available from your favorite gluten-free vendor, consider requesting a special order. As teff is still one of the lesser-known alternative grains, many retailers might not be aware of its commercial viability. Bringing teff to the attention of local retailers could open up new options for your fellow gluten-free consumers while adding convenience to your own shopping. 

Alternatively, teff can be found online from a number of specialty sources, such as:

·        Bob's Red Mill has long been known for high-quality, gluten-free products.

·        The Teff Company is an Idaho company that first brought Teff to the United States nearly twenty years ago.

More than just a wheat alternative, teff is a nutritional giant in a tiny little package. Few foods offer so much goodness in such a palatable and convenient format. Whether you suffer from gluten intolerance or are simply looking to get the most nutritional bang for your buck, it is worthwhile to add teff seed to your diet.

 

Recipe and Video: How to make Ethiopian Cabbage and Potatoes (Tikil Gomen)

This video aired recently on Global Kitchen, on Ebru TV.  Watch as Berekti Mengistu, co-owner of Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant, prepares this favorite vegan dish.  The recipe appears below, courtesy of Mesob, too.

CABBAGE AND POTATOES (Tikil Gomen)

You will need: Heavy bottom medium deep pan

Heavy bottom medium frying pan

Wooden spoon

Ingredients:

1 lb chopped cabbage

3 medium potato

1 cup chopped red onions

2-4 medium jalapeños peppers cut Julienne style

2 cups water

2 tbsp minced garlic

½ tsp minced ginger

6 tbsp oil (olive, corn or vegetable)

Salt to taste

Pell potatoes and wash in cold water.   Cut potatoes in wedges.  Fry potato and set aside.  Wash cabbage well under running water to remove dirt and grit.  In a medium pan, sauté onion over a low heat, stirring until translucent and soft.  Add garlic, ginger, salt and oil, mixing well.  Add cabbage and cook for 25 minutes Add potatoes stir gently until potatoes are tender.

Recipe and Video: How to make Ethiopian Cabbage and Potatoes (Tikil Gomen)

This video aired recently on Global Kitchen, on Ebru TV.  Watch as Berekti Mengistu, co-owner of Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant, prepares this favorite vegan dish.  The recipe appears below, courtesy of Mesob, too.

CABBAGE AND POTATOES (Tikil Gomen)

You will need: Heavy bottom medium deep pan

Heavy bottom medium frying pan

Wooden spoon

Ingredients:

1 lb chopped cabbage

3 medium potato

1 cup chopped red onions

2-4 medium jalapeños peppers cut Julienne style

2 cups water

2 tbsp minced garlic

½ tsp minced ginger

6 tbsp oil (olive, corn or vegetable)

Salt to taste

Pell potatoes and wash in cold water.   Cut potatoes in wedges.  Fry potato and set aside.  Wash cabbage well under running water to remove dirt and grit.  In a medium pan, sauté onion over a low heat, stirring until translucent and soft.  Add garlic, ginger, salt and oil, mixing well.  Add cabbage and cook for 25 minutes Add potatoes stir gently until potatoes are tender.

How to prepare Bunna at Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant of Montclair NJ

This video, filmed by Ebru.tv for the Global Kitchen series, shows the making of bunna (Ethiopian Coffee), a process of about 20 minutes which involves roasting the white coffee beans, grinding them, pouring the ground coffee into the jebena and, with water added, cooking the coffee on the stove. Each jebena of coffee is prepared individually for Mesob diners!

How to cook Ingudai Tibs

Mesob has been filmed on 4 episodes of Ebru tv's Global Kitchen. All 4 videos are available on our YouTube channel.

Here's the Ingudai Tibs video clip and recipe. Enjoy!

Ethiopia: Ingudai Tibs - Recipe courtesy of Berekti Mengistu
INGREDIENTS
5 cups of portobello mushrooms
1 1/2 cups of chopped red onions
5 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Ethiopian awaze (optional)
1 tsp garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp ginger (minced)
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt to taste
PREPARATION:
• Sauté onions over a medium heat add garlic and ginger mix for a minute. Add oil, red pepper. Add mushrooms to the mixture stirring gently to mix well. Add salt add parsley. Cook for 10 minutes.

How to Use QR Codes at Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant

Another wonderful video and post by Melody Kettle of HotFromTheKettle.com

Hot From The Kettle™: Enhancing the Dining Experience at Mesob
Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 3:24PM

The code to left is known as a Quick Response Code, commonly referred to as a QR code. The information-bearing squiggly lines are also referred to as Smart Tags or 2D Codes.
Many industries are beginning to incorporate these codes into their marketing, using them as a form of unobtrusive communication, by linking the QR codes directly to a url.
Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant is one of the first restaurants in the country to use these codes in their restaurant. Vickie Smith-Siculiano, Director of Marketing for Mesob, and her mother Debi Smith have created and placed information bearing QR codes throughout Mesob.

This presents an opportunity for the diner to enhance their experience. If you’re waiting for your meal to arrive and happen to be curious about the process of making Injera, or if you want to watch an Ethiopian fashion show, you can do this directly from your chair by simply picking up your smart phone, downloading the free app, (NeoReader is suggested for the iPhone, and Bar Code Scanner app for others) and scan the code. Voila! You’re taken to the video!

Speaking of which . . . click here to see the video.

How To Eat Ethiopian Style

Melody Kettle visited Mesob and filmed several videos for HotFromTheKettle.com and Baristanet.com.

Hot From The Kettle™: An Ethiopian Experience!
by Melody Kettle

Each time I go to Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant, I find myself warmed from the inside out.
Of course this can be explained on a chemical basis. Ethiopian cooking is dominated by warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, clove, and cardamom, not to mention the capsaicin packing spice mixture, berbere.

There's an intangible warmth at Mesob resonates beyond food science.

If you've ever hesitated about going to Mesob, or any ethnic restaurant that suggests eating without utensils, do yourself a favor, put the knife and fork down, use a moist towelette, and dig in.
Tear the injera, and with a claw like motion scoop combinations of wots. Then mix and match as you like, perhaps doro wot (traditional Ethiopian stew) along with farmer's cheese or greens. It's delicious fun!
Once you're comfortable eating with your hands, you can assimilate further into Ethiopian table culture and give, or receive a gursha. A gursha, a tradition most hand-santizer toting Americans would consider unthinkable, is the Ethiopian act of hand feeding another. The feeder, notably, cannot be denied by the feedie, as it would be an insult and very embarrassing.

The gursha illustrates expressly what is so endearing and admirable about the Ethiopian culture: trust. They trust deeply who they are dining with. They simply open and receive with graciousness. The gursha is a beautiful tradition that provides connection to the food, and is, moreover an affirmation and declaration of family. I thank the Mengistu family for sharing their tradition with me and my family.
Watch the video to join us at the table.

How to use our Injera as a utensil wasn't all we learned that day. We happened to visit Mesob on Ethiopian Christmas Day.
Large pieces of grass and fragrant Eucalyptus decorated the peg hardwood floor, and the aroma of roasting Ethiopian coffee beans, for the traditional coffee ceremony, wafted through the air.
Curious? Watch the video to learn all about traditions surrounding Ethiopian Christmas.

Traditional Ethiopian Music and Dance in Celebration of Valentine's Day at Mesob!

There'll be a One Night Only performance of traditional eskesta dancing at Mesob this Valentine's Day, Monday February 14,2011. The restaurant will be opening only for the 2 dinner seatings: 6:30pm and 8:30pm - by reservation only. Reservations can be made by calling 973-655-9000 or online at Open Table

Ethiopian-born Frehiwot Bireka and Daniel Kebede are eskesta dancers returning from a 12-state tour. Wearing traditional eskesta dress, they will dance around the restaurant to Ethiopian music. The Ethiopian name "eskesta" means "dancing shoulders." Practiced mainly in the Northern parts of Ethiopia, the dance is performed both by men and women with their head, neck, chest and shoulders shaking in specific movements.

Berekti Mengistu, one of the two Ethiopian sisters who own Mesob, says "We love to share our rich culture with our diners. What better day than Valentine's Day to show this love!"