Ras Dashen Ethiopian

We ate dinner at Ras Dashen in the Edgewater neighbourhood of Chicago.  We had heard about this place on Check please a while ago and thought we would try Ethiopian food in the city.  It is a communal dining experience unlike most types of food - it is an Ethiopian tradition to hand feed your close friends and family.  We have been once before to an Ethiopian restaurant in Michigan but it has been several years.

The surface of the moon-no just the injera bread

We each ordered an entree and three sides come with each table's order.  The entrees and the sides are served on a round of injera bread (spongy flat bread) and then you are given other rounds of injera bread as your "utensils".
Entrees:

Doro Wat - chicken and egg entree

Doro Wat - chicken and hard boiled egg cooked in a spicy sauce, the national dish of Ethiopia
Zilzil Alicha - strips of beef with onions, garlic and green peppers in a sauce that is not as spicy

Sides:
Qosta - spinach cooked with onion, garlic and spices
Ib - soft cheese made with cultured buttermilk
Diblik atkilt - green beans, zucchini and carrots stewed with tomatoes

Zilzil Alicha (beef entree) and Id (cheese side dish)

Qosta - spinach side dish

In the menu the explanations of the entrees were not that descriptive for people that are not very familiar with this type of food - fortunately we picked items that were pretty good.  Natalie really liked the three side dishes and perhaps would try a vegetarian entree the next time. Nick really liked the doro wat (spicy chicken) - it had bold flavors and a great aroma.  The doro wat was a bit too spicy for Natalie, but the Ib (cheese side) softened the spiciness a little.  The beef dish was hearty and full of flavor.  In reviews we read, people had commented on the "sourness" of the injera, but we didn't find it overly sour, just nice and spongy.

Diblik Atkilt - vegetable side dish

Final thoughts on Ras Dashen:
Food - good, since we haven't experienced Ethiopian food that much it is hard to make any sort of comparison to other places.  We enjoyed everything because we are adventurous.  The food itself wasn't that "adventerous" but the way you eat with your hands definitely is.  The food is not as visually appealing as other types of food - they bring out the entree in a bowl and then dump the contents onto a large platter of injera bread right at your table.
Service - well we went on a Monday night (do you sense a trend with this) so there were only 2 parties - including us - at the restaurant.  So we didn't have any problem with the service.  We did see a few people pick up orders for carry out as well.  The other table at the restaurant was a party of 7 people.  We were happy that it was just the 2 of us with the overly communal way of eating the food (with bread instead of utensils).  We made sure to wash our hands very well before and after the meal.
Atmosphere - the tables and decore showcased African styles.  On the weekends it sounds like there is live band that plays African music.  There wasn't much of an energy with just the 2 tables but if it were more full it could be fun.