The Savvy Shopper (coupon book of restaurants and other stuff) came last week, and since we’ve been curious, we decided to try Moya, which is off Clairmont Road near Emory. It’s Ethiopian food (insert South Park joke here), so we weren’t really sure what to expect. The server was very knowledgeable and gave great suggestions, and we had a good time.
Ethiopian food is fun. It comes with a soft, spongy, thin sourdough-type bread that’s used to eat the food so that everything is like a little pita pocket. We had the vegetarian sampler, which consists of spicy (but not too hot) lentils, split peas, greens, and a cabbage/carrot/potato mix, all of which is spiced really nicely. We also had the #4, which is steak cooked with onions, tomato, and peppers in a chardonnay sauce. It, too, was a little spicy but okay for a wimp like me. We skipped the wine. Altogether, it was fun, reasonable, and very filling.
Atmosphere: Nice
Food: Very Good
Wine list: Short and basic
Wait staff: Friendly and knowledgeable, very helpful to newbies
Desserts: N/A
Vegetarian friendly? Yes, half the menu is vegetarian
Kid friendly? No kid’s menu
Would I go back? Yes, but it will likely be a mood thing
In spite of the fact that the Ethiopian bread and everything else expands to fit every corner of one’s stomach, I decided that it’s been a stressful week, and I wanted wine and chocolate. This brought us back to downtown Decatur, where we drove by Tastings, which isn’t open yet, and ended up at Chocolate Bar, which was not only open, but celebrating its one year anniversary. Hubby and I went with some friends just after it opened and were somewhat underwhelmed, but they’ve pared down their menu to a few things they do really well, and the truffles are outstanding. We started with glass each of the Di Arie Zinfandel, which is quickly becoming a favorite. I found some corners in my tummy and got the Oreos and Milk, which is two small round chocolate souffles sandwiched together with white chocolate ganache in the middle and served with vanilla ice cream. The chef suggested a pairing with the dessert Grenache (not the Windmill Zin, which is on the web site menu — that was so last season!), which was a nice, basic dessert wine. Hubby eschewed dessert and got a glass of Tempranillo, which smelled and tasted a bit like raisins, although he said it improved as it breathed.
Atmosphere: Nice, a little noisy
Food: I’ve never actually had the “bar munchies,” just dessert
Wine list: Long enough to find something for everyone, but fairly simple and focused
Wait staff: Friendly, can get overwhelmed when busy
Desserts: Yes, please!
Vegetarian friendly? Chocolate is a vegetable, right?
Kid friendly? Not unless your kids have gourmet tastes
Would I go back? Yes
Random announcement:
I’ll be pouring Italian wines at Sherlock’s in Decatur this Saturday. Hope to see you there!