Lalibela, Delightful New Ethiopian Restaurant, Opens In Mt. Kisco

When my husband and I first moved to Northern Westchester, there was one Chinese restaurant, Ho Yen in Mount Kisco. This was the extent of adventuresome dining in our area. How times have changed, and all for the better. The latest bistro for exotic food, Lalibela, is a welcome addition to the gastronomic scene.

The venue is simple and spotlessly clean; fortunately for those of us with back issues, tables and chairs take the place of more traditional pillows on the floor. But the Ethiopian food served here is completely authentic; it's both healthy and fun to eat.

Selamawit Tesfaye, the owner and manager, encourages diners to ask questions. This beautiful and gracious young woman explains the Ethiopian style of eating, which involves people eating with their hands, "We encourage everyone to eat with their hands. Silverware can be provided, but the experience of sharing food with everybody digging in encourages everyone to feel a real connection with what's being served. And kids love it!"

We tried a sampling of dishes. Ethiopian food tends to be spicy, so if you prefer your portion mild, please inform your server. Everything is served family style, on a huge round dish. The food is arranged on injera, which is listed as bread, although it's actually more like a soft, light pancake that is very easy to manipulate. Each person is also provided with a side dish of injera, which is made from a grain, native to East Africa, called teff.

Teff is a tiny round cereal, which resembles millet. It's ground into a powder and fermented, then baked without being flipped. This is why there are bubbles only on one side of the injera. Teff is loaded with protein, carbohydrates and minerals; it's very low in gluten.

To eat in true Ethiopian style, scoop up the food with the injera and pop it in your mouth. It's easy to understand that this can become a romantic meal; it's almost irresistible to feed a loved one. I challenge anyone not to have a good time eating this way.

For those not familiar with the seasoning, berbere is a chili pepper powder containing ginger, garlic, cloves, coriander, allspice, rue berries, ajwain black peppercorns and salt. Mitmita is an African birdseye chili pepper powder containing garlic, cardamom seed, cloves and salt.

My personal favorite was the Doro Wat, chicken legs that are very slowly cooked with onion, fresh ginger, garlic, berbere chili sauce and spiced butter. They are extremely tender, and are served with hard-boiled egg.

Lalibela is a great place for vegetarians and vegans, as well as meat eaters. Especially good to order is Shiro Wat, ground and seasoned split peas cooked with onion, fresh ginger, berbere chili sauce and olive oil. This looks like corn, and has the consistency of a smooth paste.

Also delicious is the Gomen, shredded collard greens cooked with onion, garlic, ginger and olive oil. The color adds to the plating of the harmoniously arranged food.

A comparatively mild choice is Misir Wat Alicha, split lentils cooked with onion, fresh ginger, garlic, tumeric and olive oil. Add berbere chili sauce, and you have Misir Wat, which is quite spicy.

Lamb is extremely popular in Ethiopian cooking. Try both Yebag Wat, which is slowly cooked with onion, fresh ginger, garlic, berbere chili sauce, and spiced butter; and Lamb Tips, which is a boneless leg of lamb sautéed in olive oil, with onion, green pepper and rosemary.

I also recommend Siga Wat, which is beef cooked with onion, fresh ginger, berbere chili sauce and spiced butter.

The slow cooking process really brings out the flavor and tenderness of the meat, and keeps in the juices. This food truly does melt in your mouth.

Tesfaye is currently investigating local bakeries to see which one can provide desserts to compliment the food. She's also working to put together a suitable wine list for parings. Meanwhile, do not miss the Ethiopian coffee ceremony.

Diners are first shown the raw beans, for which Ethiopia is justifiably famous. In their natural state, they are not yet the deep brown color that is brought out by roasting. The beans are stirred with a wooden spoon, in a large skillet; the aroma is intoxicating. Next to the roasted beans are the beans that have already been ground. It's interesting and educational to see these three phases of coffee side by side, and to see the beans being stirred and roasted. We rarely think this way of the beverage we gulp down in the morning, while racing to do other things.

In fact, an Ethiopian meal is all about slowing down and enjoying the experience. The coffee is brought to the table in a large pot, and very carefully pored into tiny, decorated cups. There is a real art to the pouring, since the coffee is not filtered. The flavor is extremely rich and strong. Traditionally, it would be drunk without further embellishment, but Tesfaye assured me that it was fine to add cream and sugar.

Tesfaye chose Mount Kisco as the site of Westchester's first and only Ethiopian restaurant because she felt local palates were open to new cuisines. 

"I spent over eight years working at Crabtree's Kittle House, so I know the area. I always wanted to own my own business. I got asked all the time if there was a good Ethiopian restaurant in the area, so I thought, I'll open one myself," she said.

And the name? "I wanted something that was catchy and easy to pronounce. My mom comes from near Lalibela, which is a very holy Christian city in northern Ethiopia." In fact, Lalibela was originally intended to become a New Jerusalem when Muslims captured the original. Many of the historic buildings take their names and layouts from buildings in Jerusalem. Judging from the picture she has hanging on the wall, it's also very scenic.

Tesfaye and her equally lovely sister and partner, Yodit Tesfaye Walker, have come a very long way from their original home. It's our hope that they have great success with their new restaurant, and stay here in Mount Kisco for many years to come.

Lalibela is located at 37 S. Moger Ave. Its Web site is lalibelamountkisco.com