Saturday, February 24, 2007

"I think I just encountered a nut"

So went for dinner with the rest of the 'Round the World folks last night at Addis Red Sea for some Ethiopian food. Took the T there and walked from Arlington (my old feeding grounds) in the Boston freeze and would you believe it - the battery in my mp3 player ran out and I had no spares. Damn Chinese crap. So then I think, that's not so bad, I can listen to the sounds of the city as I walk through Downtown. Maybe I shouldn't be in my own headphone-generated universe all the time. So I get off the train and surface anticipating the sounds of music, laughter, excited chatter - the sort of stuff you hear in any metro downtown on a Friday night. No. Nothing. There was nothing. Sirens and traffic. But that's about it. Prolly 'cuz it was too bloody cold to speak, sing and laugh. It was so cold, my arse was numb. I couldn't feel my fingers after 3 minutes.

Addis Red Sea did a lot to take care of that. The atmosphere was cozy. The pictures on the wall are lovely. The staff is pretty patient especially when dealing with crazy MBAs all hyped up on Friday Night excitement. The stools we were sitting on were hugely uncomfortable - a table and a chair are really nice when you're eating. The Dukan wine was nice as usual although Gus ordered the same one and it tasted more raisiny than mine - younger wine? Who knows. Anyway, the food was very mediocre. I had a beef sambusa with the Lega Tibs both of which were definitely sub-par from other Ethiopian restaurants. The dessert and coffee (and of course the conversation) made up for it though. I had a mini caramel turtle cheesecake with some very nice coffee. All in all, a good time was had by all - as is evidenced by the loud giggling heard from the Eleanor-Wolfe-Gus corner, the EXTREMELY large bill and the dirty stares of lots of other people waiting for tables wanting to kick out the loud MBA group that took up 25 stools for 3 and a half hours. Splendid. Can't wait for the next one. Cuban, I'm told.

And I leave you with this thought -
How long does it take MBAs to settle a bill?
A really really long time - we're too busy delegating.

8 comments:

Zeenat Rasheed said...

Hey there, I wandered over from C-Flat's and thought I'd say hello to a fellow freezing Bostonian. I was at the Froggy Pond on Saturday and I think I officially lost my teeth to frostbite.

I like this blog. I think your sketches are fantastic, your About Me quote is spot on, and I know the feeling of waiting for IM to go ping while you slow dance with a pillow in lamplight.

And - I'm pleasantly surprised to see that you work/worked? at a media consultancy firm when I'm a media person looking for a job since I just moved here and am going mad with unemployment.

So anyhoo, hello - and drop by my blog sometime.

Wolfe said...

I nearly went to the Froggy Pond on Friday but good sense prevailed.

Get in touch if you need help re employment - I'll see what I can do.

Ak-Man said...

Where was the 'nut' you encountered?

Am i missing something here?

Wolfe said...

In the caramel turtle cheesecake. Which I used as a weapon to force Gus to do my bidding as I threatened him with it. He's deathly allergic to nuts you see.

Zeenat Rasheed said...

Thanks Wolfe.. I'm curious to know more about Beehive Media - what they do and what it was like to work there - since I saw the link to it on your post. How would you like us to get connected? I can add you on MSN if that's okay with you.

Wolfe said...

MSN is fine.

Lippy said...

I've never had the opportunity to sample Ethiopian cuisine, was this restaurant guilty of bad cooking, or is Ethiopian-style food that weak?

Glad you still managed to have a good time, lol 3 and 1/2 hours!

Wolfe said...

Ethiopian food, to my limited knowledge, is fairly good. This was dumbed down American crap. The stews were not stewed long enough and the flavors did not meld together into the meat. That sort of thing. It is a good date place for dessert and coffee though.