Ferronlandia: Head East... To Oakland!

America getting you down? It's been a year since I left the country, so you know I'm getting anxious and I have a feeling a few of you are feeling the same way. But, if you can't drop everything and head overseas here are two spots to alleviate your red, white and blues:
Enssaro Ethiopian Restaurant

I'm gonna call myself out right now and admit that I don't know much about Ethiopian food nor do I consider it one of my favorite cuisines. The spongy bread injera has never done it for me and I can't say I've had a dish that's been memorable. But this week I went to Ensarro, and it accomplished what few restaurants can do- it opened my snobby little mind. A huge, family style platter arrived at our table, the yellow of the pigeon peas matched the wall to my right, the turmeric set off the amber drapes on the ceiling, and I noticed that there's something special when the hues of your food and your environment combine harmoniously. I enjoyed every flavor of the Yetsome Beyaynetu (veggie combo) and the Bozena Shirow (finely grounded splot peas, and chickpeas simmered in minced beef). Look at me knowing the names.

Oasis Market

One of my favorite things to do when I lived in Istanbul was take the tram to the spice bazaar and walk through the piles of turkish delight and saffron, past the coffee roaster, and up through the districts of fabric stores and electronics as they twisted and evolved into the Grand Bazaar full of antiques, carpets, and hookahs. My other favorite thing to do was stumble out of bars at 3 a.m. and follow the scent of döner, a rotating spit of lamb sliced off and served to order- especially good after a long night out. Oasis Market fills those two gaps in my life as best as any market could. Call it what you like, shawarma, gyro, al pastor, rotating roasts hit the spot and you can get a good one there with freshly baked pita and all the fixings (tahini, humus, onions, etc.) for $8. There's also an entire selection of pistachio and date-filled pastries, savory pies, feta cheese, and mezzes. And, in case you wanna get freaky, there's the classic freak-eh soup:)