Abay Ethiopian Cuisine (East Liberty)

Update: Abay is closed.

To much sadness and astonishment among Pittsburgh food lovers, Abay recently announced on Facebook that it will be closing on June 30.

Sad, as being the first to bring authentic Ethiopian cuisine to the city, Abay played an important role in expanding and revolutionizing the Pittsburgh dining scene. To this day, owner Jamie Wallace views Abay not as a restaurant, but a "cultural destination that happened to be a restaurant."

Astonished, because the food at Abay is delicious! How can such a much-loved restaurant like Abay go out of business??

But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. It appears that the reason behind the decision to close is not a lack of profit, but rather a lack of fire to keep it going. As Wallace noted in his post, "If someone with the same perspective, energy, and passion I had 10 years ago wants to continue Abay here (or at another location), we'll consider selling Abay and doing what we can to help." I most assuredly hope there are takers on his offer, but if not, may this be my final tribute post for Abay.

I actually visited Abay not too long ago. Ethiopian is R.'s favorite cuisine, and he was adamant about going to Abay for his birthday dinner because he so enjoyed our first visit there (as did I). This time, we were treated to mesob seating (basket-weaved tables) by the window, in full view of the latest residential development across Highland Avenue. East Liberty is looking to be the hottest spot in town.

For our meal, we once again ordered two combination platters (the Combination Sampler and the Vegetarian Sampler) which allowed us to sample different items. We picked a few from our last visit here that we liked, but also tried a few new ones.

Combination Sampler and Vegetarian Sampler at Abay

For the combination platter, we ordered (pictured from top to bottom on the left side of the platter):

1. Minchet Abish — Finely minced beef simmered in a berbere stew.
2. Doro Tibs — Strips of boneless, skinless chicken breast sautéed with homemade awaze, peppers, onions and herbs.
3. North African Curry Chicken (special for the evening) — Sautéed chicken simmered in a spicy sauce of coconut milk, toasted spices, fresh basil, and pureed roasted vegetables.
4. Abay Scallops (special for the evening) — Pan seared scallops with a toasted almond, basil, and fennel sauce

For the vegetarian sampler, we got (picture right):

1. Misir Wat — Red split lentils simmered in spicy berbere sauce.
2. Kay Sir Dinich — Potatoes and fresh beets stewed and blended with garlic, ginger and onions.
3. Inguday Wat — Fresh mushrooms and brown lentils simmered in a spicy berbere sauce.
4. Shiro Wat — Finely ground split peas, lentils and chickpeas simmered in berbere and a combination of seasonings.

I'm not sure where we found the room, but after the scrumptious meal, we each ordered a dessert. I opted for the Burnt Almond Torte while R. got the Pumpkin Sambussa with Honey Ice Cream. I mentioned it was R.'s birthday, and the staff was nice enough to bring a candle with our dessert.

Burnt Almond Torte

Pumpkin Sambussa with Honey Ice Cream

We definitely left with happy bellies that evening. Little did we know that it would likely be our last meal at Abay. To the crew at Abay: Thank you so much for all that you've done to broaden the culinary horizon in Pittsburgh. I thoroughly enjoyed your exceptional food and service, as well as learning more about Ethiopia along the way. Goodbye, Abay, and thanks for the memories.

Restaurant info:
Abay Ethiopian Cuisine
130 S Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
(412)661-9736
On the web: http://www.abayrestaurant.com
Bonus: BYOB ($2.50 per bottle corkage fee)


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Abay Ethiopian Cuisine (East Liberty)

Update: Abay is closed.

Our trip to Abay Ethiopian Cuisine in East Liberty was one I had been anticipating for a long time as R. loves Ethiopian food and I had been looking forward to taking him there.  We finally made it there last Saturday as a little treat after spending a busy day out and about.

I love the menu at Abay, not just because of its intriguing offerings, but also for the background information and even humorous commentary it provides.  I learned that "Abay" in the Ethiopian language of Amharic is the name for the Blue Nile, which is one of two main rivers that feed into the Nile and originates in Lake Tana in Ethiopia.  As 80% of the Nile is sourced from Abay, this name was chosen for the restaurant "because it is a main source of nourishment for the Nile."  That's neat!  A section on "how to eat" explains that Ethiopian food is enjoyed communal style because of the culture's emphasis on community.  The humorous part was the section describing its BYOB policy: "Since wine may...lead you to believe the person you are with is more attractive or engaging than he or she actually is, drinking it responsibly with your meal is encouraged." :)

It didn't take us long to decide what we wanted to order: two combination platters, so we could try a number of different items.  Between the two of us, we ordered a one-person portion of Vegetarian Sampler, which included a choice of any four vegetarian entrees on the menu, and a one-person portion of the Combination Sampler, which included a combination of any four meat or vegetarian entrees.  So between the two of us, we got to try eight different items!

Here are the four vegetarian items we chose and their menu descriptions:

1. Inguday Wat:  Fresh mushrooms and brown lentils simmered in a spicy berbere sauce.
2. Kay Sir Dinich:  Potatoes and fresh beets showed and blended with garlic, ginger, and onions.
3. Ayib Be Gomen:  Fresh collard greens blended with Abay's homemade cheese.
4. Fosolia:  String beans lightly spiced and sauteed with carrots, onions, and potatoes.

Vegetarian Sampler ($12)
L-R: Inguday Wat, Kay Sir Dinich, Ayib Be Gomen, Fosolia

The four meat entrees and their menu descriptions are as follows:

1. Poulet a la Sauce d'Arachide: This was a special of the evening, and consisted of chicken in peanut sauce.
2. Zilzil Tibs: Strips of tender, lean beef sauteed with homemade awaze, peppers, onions, and herbs.
3. Doro Minchet Abish: Boneless, skinless chicken breast diced and simmered in a berbere stew.
4. Gomen Besiga: Lean, cubed beef slow-cooked and blended with kale, peppers, ginger, garlic, and onions.

Combination Sampler ($14.50)
Counterclockwise from L: Poulet a la Sauce d'Arachide, Zilzil Tibs,
Doro Mihcet Abish, Gomen Besiga

In addition, our wonderful and attentive server, Britney, brought us samples of yellow split peas, lentils, and beef in berbere stew (Minchet Abish).  The platter comes standard with injera (soft, spongy flatbread) which you tear off and use to pick up the fillings, but it looks like they are willing to provide utensils and rice instead for those squeamish about eating with their hands.  We pretty much loved everything.  Our favorite was by far the chicken special - I wonder if we can petition to have it promoted to the permanent menu? ;)  I also particularly enjoyed zilzil tibs, inguday wat, kay sir dinich, and the minchet abish sample, but everything else was fantastic as well.  Some of the items were listed as "spicy" on the menu, but I didn't think they were all that spicy.  I think my recent habit of eating spicy food is changing my heat perception!

When we were done with our platter (of which we had leftovers), Britney asked if we wanted dessert.  I was really full, but foolishly asked to see the dessert menu anyway.  And, as soon as I asked for the dessert menu, I knew I would order something.  Luckily, R. and I have pretty similar tastes in desserts, so we split the Pumpkin Sambussa and Scoop - two pieces of sambussa stuffed with pumpkin and spices, served with our choice of ice cream (we picked ginger), and drizzled with either honey or chocolate (we went for chocolate).  It was delicious, and I have to say, as an ice cream snob who generally doesn't like anything other than Jeni's, I was pleasantly surprised by the ginger ice cream which is from Dave & Andy's.

Pumpkin Sambussa and Scoop ($5.50)

We both enjoyed Abay tremendously, and we are glad that there is great Ethiopian food to be had in Pittsburgh!

Restaurant info:
Abay Ethiopian Cuisine
130 S Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
(412)661-9736
On the web: http://www.abayrestaurant.com
Bonus: BYOB ($2.50 per bottle corkage fee)


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