Comments on: Red Sea: Reviews http://blogs.kqed.org/checkplease/2006/02/02/red-sea-reviews/ regular people review Bay Area restaurants Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:31:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Andrew Perez http://blogs.kqed.org/checkplease/2006/02/02/red-sea-reviews/comment-page-1/#comment-201 Andrew Perez Sun, 17 May 2009 04:28:40 +0000 http://mail1.kqed.org/wpmu/food/2006/02/02/red-sea-reviews/#comment-201 I took my mom to this restaurant for her birthday and she really loved it. When I saw it featured on Check Please, she wanted to go. I ordered a beef sambusa and I find it excellent, but it was very hot and it's all good. My whole family ordered the Red Sea Combintaion Platter, which has a variety of meat and vegetables and I find it also good. I've never had Ethiopian food before, so it was my first time trying it. I would rate this place an 8 out of 10. So, I would recommend to people if they never had this type of food, but for me, I would definetly go back. I took my mom to this restaurant for her birthday and she really loved it. When I saw it featured on Check Please, she wanted to go. I ordered a beef sambusa and I find it excellent, but it was very hot and it's all good. My whole family ordered the Red Sea Combintaion Platter, which has a variety of meat and vegetables and I find it also good. I've never had Ethiopian food before, so it was my first time trying it. I would rate this place an 8 out of 10. So, I would recommend to people if they never had this type of food, but for me, I would definetly go back.

]]> By: SergĂ© http://blogs.kqed.org/checkplease/2006/02/02/red-sea-reviews/comment-page-1/#comment-200 SergĂ© Sat, 11 Feb 2006 22:05:30 +0000 http://mail1.kqed.org/wpmu/food/2006/02/02/red-sea-reviews/#comment-200 The old grey mare, she ain't what she used to be. While still tasty, and still a bargain, the Red Sea has fallen off from the sublime and ridiculously economical incarnation it was, say, six years ago. It's really worth a try, since 'Your Mileage May Vary' and people whose palates I repect still enjoy eating there. For me, I've tried all the Ethiopian and Eritrean places in the Berkeley/Oakland corridor, and tried the good ones at least twice. A couple of notes - not only are the preparations different, but there are some dishes and ingredients you might find one place and not another. A good example of this is Phool (many spellings), made with fava beans. My favorite place of the bunch is Cafe Eritrea d'Afrique at Tele and 40th. Veggie combo is a must and the Derho Zebhi and Derho Alicha are worth a long drive. Cafe Colucci used to be, like Red Sea, a real stalwart for this cuisine. My last three trips there left me disappointed, sadly. Two additional comments... First, if the injera (spongy, sour bread) is not absolutely fresh, it will really diminish your experience. When you find a place that does this right, stick with them - it's turned out to be a great litmus-test. Second, a note about service. I've never been to a single Ethiopean or Eritrean restaurant that had snappy service. That being said, it's part of the deal. So, if you are going to have your dinner ruined by what seems to be inattentive service...don't go. If you look at the Ethiopian folks dining there, they are totally relaxed don't ever seem to be looking around for a waiter or waitress, rushing for the bill, or to pay. The whole experience is meant to be very laid-back. So, get in the mood, make sure you have the time and some good conversationalists in your group, and enjoy. The old grey mare, she ain't what she used to be. While still tasty, and still a bargain, the Red Sea has fallen off from the sublime and ridiculously economical incarnation it was, say, six years ago. It's really worth a try, since 'Your Mileage May Vary' and people whose palates I repect still enjoy eating there. For me, I've tried all the Ethiopian and Eritrean places in the Berkeley/Oakland corridor, and tried the good ones at least twice. A couple of notes – not only are the preparations different, but there are some dishes and ingredients you might find one place and not another. A good example of this is Phool (many spellings), made with fava beans. My favorite place of the bunch is Cafe Eritrea d'Afrique at Tele and 40th. Veggie combo is a must and the Derho Zebhi and Derho Alicha are worth a long drive. Cafe Colucci used to be, like Red Sea, a real stalwart for this cuisine. My last three trips there left me disappointed, sadly.

Two additional comments… First, if the injera (spongy, sour bread) is not absolutely fresh, it will really diminish your experience. When you find a place that does this right, stick with them – it's turned out to be a great litmus-test. Second, a note about service. I've never been to a single Ethiopean or Eritrean restaurant that had snappy service. That being said, it's part of the deal. So, if you are going to have your dinner ruined by what seems to be inattentive service…don't go. If you look at the Ethiopian folks dining there, they are totally relaxed don't ever seem to be looking around for a waiter or waitress, rushing for the bill, or to pay. The whole experience is meant to be very laid-back. So, get in the mood, make sure you have the time and some good conversationalists in your group, and enjoy.

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