14838 Burbank Blvd., Sherman Oaks, tel. 818/786-2670, Cross street is Kester, closed Monday
I had no idea what Ethiopian cuisine was like, but Steven seemed to know that you eat everything with bread (and no silverware). He was right, but it's with large, crepe-y, lightly limey, spongy pancakes, with food served on top of same(no plates), served on a pizza platter. Brilliant. If I could figure out how to serve like that at home and only wash one pizza platter, I'd do it too. The food itself heavily resembles Indian (for the uninitiated, basically it's ground up piles of food - like yummy baby food for adults). Some people do not like Indian food merely because of how it looks, but these are probably the same people who would not even entertain a suggestion of Ethiopian food.
This is a brand-new restaurant, and it still looks that way. The carpet, tables, institutional chairs and paint are fresh and new, but the whole place is very nondescript and needs a decorative touch (and dimmed lights). However, they do have two bathrooms, which come in mighty handy because you'll be wanting to wash your hands before and after (unless you are trying out for "Survivor" or are otherwise comfortable eating from and wearing funky fingers). The other part about having two bathrooms (Steven is amused by this) I'll leave to your imagination. We wish we had two at home...
We had to go to Langano twice before I could write anything, because the first time there were landmines in the meal. I do not like anything with spicy heat, and was assured that there was none in the food. We ordered the Vegetarian Special, which includes split lentils, (Yemisir Wot), steamed peas with onions, garlic, ginger and spiced butter (Yekik Alicha), potato, carrot and cabbages (Yedenech Atikelt), lettuce and tomato salad, and green beans, carrot and onion (Foseliana Carrot) all for $8.75. When it arrived we didn't think it would be enough, but afterward we were holding our engorged tummies. The pea, potato and green bean dishes were delicious and not abundantly high in fat.
But the lentils, and bizarrely, the green salad were mined with spices. The lentils were just spicy, but the salad caused my mouth to implode and my eyebrows to meet my cheeks. Steven, scoffing at my wimpyness, made a show of shoveling in some salad after me (only to gasp and beg for my water). On the menu, this item was described innocuously as "fresh lettuce and tomato salad". We both let this insidious rabbit food sit and stare at us like a scorpion from its sponge-bread throne after that. We also ordered steamed collard greens, which were unbearably delicious and swimming the backstroke in a sea of fat (which was partially sucked into the sponge-bread, to be rolled up and downed by a happy Steven). I have only ever tasted greens like this from Mr. Chow, and I didn't know they were greens.
On the second go, we reordered the lentils (Yemsir Wot, $5.00), thinking that they had been the mild thing on the menu from last time. This is the trouble with mashed food (really, the only trouble): Turned out what we really wanted was the split peas, and the lentils had been the spicy, puddly sauce on our vegetarian platter. Steven and I have to watch out or we're going to be the tourists who accidentally eat monkeybrain. Steven ate the lentils and we again ordered the ground peas (Yeshiro Wot, $5.00), which are devoid of excess fat and are delicious, the potato, carrot and cabbages (Yedenech Atikelt, $1.50), and the steamed collards (Yehabesha Gomen, $1.50) with a request for less fat. They were less fatty (though not fat free, just so you know), and they were still ridiculously good and despite the menu's claim of green chili content, they are very mild. If you wouldn't eat a collard green for money, try these anyway; they are that good.
Langano has a couple of other vegetarian sides, but the special is the best deal. They also have a menu of beef and chicken dishes.
The only beverage I can recommend is their hot tea, which is similar to Indian tea in that it has a warm, cinnamony flavor (mixed with Lipton!). They also have Special Ethiopian Coffee, but we didn't try it because it was $6.00. Ethiopians don't seem to eat dessert, and frankly, that's a bummer, but you will end up eating so many spongey pancakes that you won't be able to fit it in anyway. Our advice: take a walk down the block and wind around the residential streets before waddling back to the car. Then, drive up Van Nuys Blvd. and get a Krispy Kreme. Just a suggestion.