Being adventurous

Nick and I have decided that we really want to make a conscious effort to try new restaurants this year. When we first moved to Columbus, we thought we would go to a different place every week. Turns out, we tried a few places which quickly became out regular haunts and that was it. Granted, they are totally amazing (The Dube, Great Wall, Canes, etc), but this city really does have a lot to offer and we want to start taking advantage of it. So through the magic of Groupon.com, we started our culinary adventure. Tonight, we went out to Blue Nile which is an Ethiopian restaurant off of High St. Now, I am just about the pickiest eater EVER so I was pretty skeptical that I would like it. But I faced my doubts and was pleasantly surprised! We sat down to a big, round basket that came up to about our knees once we were seated. We ordered a combination platter, which was brought out on a huge dish which was placed in the basket. Ethiopian food is meant to be eaten with the hands, so we dug in. The "bread" was the weirdest thing about it. I'm not totally sure of the ingredients, but I mentioned to Nick that it kind of reminded me of a sea sponge (texture wise). We had some spicy chicken, beef, chicken legs and boiled eggs covered in sauce, and puréed yellow split peas. It was delicious! The prices are somewhat steep if you don't have a gift card like we did, but if you wanted to go there as a group it would be worth it. Definitely glad we went! Looking forward to many more new experiences this year :)

G. Rowe