Finfine — Restaurant in Berkeley

Located in that small quaint-looking plaza off Telegraph Ave, we originally came here to try out the Japanese place. But then this place beckoned and we felt like being adventurous. Very charming and quaint, it was the beginning of the dinner hour so we were naturally the "bait" couple. You know what I mean? You get seated in front of the window as a sort of advertisement because you are there first.

I had only had Ethiopian food once years ago and never experienced the whole eat-with-your-hands thing. We had the vegetarian platter (roughly $15) and a spicy lamb dish that my husband swore was called "bed wet" (I think around $15 as well). Both came on a large platter we shared with a basket of injera - spongy, crepe-like sourdough bread that you used to scoop up the food.

Not having tried honey wine ($4.75) I thought it would go well with the dish. Pleasantly sweet, but not overly so, it paired nicely with everything.

Our waiter saw the blank looks on our faces when no utensils came out with the food, so he explained how to eat our meal. An older gentleman dropped by the table to see how we liked the food and said that the produce came from an organic farm in Sunol. Nice to know that the food is sourced locally! Great flavors and I wish I knew the names - the darker lentil dish was my favorite. For me, the lamb was the highlight - I can't identify the flavors, but it was like an aromatic ragout with lots of sauce to go with the bread.

I don't like the restroom in the middle of the restaurant. A little distracting -- but there are some strategic spots to sit so you don't have to see it. If you are the bait couple, take the seat facing the door and you won't have...

Went here yesterday night after deciding that the line for Kiraku was too long to wait. Very glad we ended up here.

The restaurant is tucked away in this little Christmas-looking tiny plaza. It was surprisingly quiet for a Friday night - we were the only ones coming in at 8 pm and a lone diner joined shortly. Service was excellent and I enjoyed talking to our waiter.

We had the Gore Gore (which the waiter recommended above all other beef dishes, and it was fantastic and spicy). We also had the chicken dish Awaze (the spicy version). Food came with the Ethiopian bread, which is used in lieu of silverware, and vegetables, including collared greens and spinach.

Everything was very flavorful. We also got Ethiopian beer (pretty tasty!) and Ethiopian honey wine. The honey wine was great as a glass - it's very sweet and a bit port-like/mead-like but a bit overwhelming in bottle form.

Food was so good that we were discussing making Ethiopia our next travel...

Some places are just a class above, usually due to someone taking great care in the preparation of food, or someone's grandmother is still there, making sure the recipes are correct or they just have an owner or management who really understands food. Finfine is that Ethiopian fine food experience, where all the ingredients are organic, (The use Early girl tomatoes in their recipes and salads!). Something as simple as Injera the flat bread is just on another level, and the main courses, (We had Awazw Lamb Tibs, and Beef Alicha Firfir) are just cleaner, and tastier, than most places. Located in "The Village" on Telegraph, a place conceived and constructed by my Godfather, Franco Albanese as a village like environment of shops, that was copied in dozens of places in berkeley afterwards, the location is always...