🚀 go-pugleaf

Finally made my initial sampling of Somali food. The Uruba Restaurant has on
Sundays an all-you-can-eat buffet. The place was filled by early afternoon,
mainly with Somali men chowing down. I, of course, was the token English
speaking diner. This buffet was a good introduction with Somali seasonings
and cooking style.

They had seasoned chicken thighs and legs, braised / stewed goat or beef
(?), ground beef sauce (like spaghetti sauce), and a Somali (curry-like)
sauce on the side. The meats are not greasy. This can accompany seasoned
rice, seasoned spaghetti, a spicy bow-tie pasta hot dish, blocks of farina,
fried flat bread, plain rice, and french bread. They had a good sliced
tomato, cucumber, onion, iceberg lettuce salad with a vinaigrette dressing.
They also had plain boiled cabbage. Dessert is a banana. All for $7.00

I also picked up their one page menu (which they had to search for). It
includes Chicken curry, Hilib Ari (goat chops), Suqaar (chopped beef),
Busketi (steak), Kutuleti (chx breasts), all for $7, lunch or dinner. I will
be back.

Along with the usual soft drinks, they had mango and guava juice drink, $1 /
glass. The service was friendly but barely could understand English. The
place was clean.

Uruba Restaurant, 2800 27th Av S, Minneapolis, MN 55406, (612) 729-9898.
Serves breakfast and open til 10pm. They have take-out and looks like they
will cater.

This place is in the Longfellow neighborhood, in back of the Lake St & Hwy
55 shopping center with a Target, Rainbow, and Cub supermarkets. Take the
Hwy55 exit off of I-94 Spaghetti junction.

Minneapolis reportedly has the largest community of Somali in the US, about
30K. This and other Moslem (halal) food can be seen at
http://www.zabihah.com/mn.shtml


Regards, Phil, Minneapolis, MN, Silicon Tundra, USA

=============

"Dr. Ross" <JR@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:8qnp5t8pb2i3et1ri6ap2jk80tlvpqrh77@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 9 Jan 2001 10:29:14 -0600, "Phil Lee"
> <situndra@internetconnect.net> wrote:
>
> >Saw some lights on the Somali Mall, 1 blk north of Lake St and Pillsbury
Av
> >S, and stumbled into the largest gathering of Somali men and women that I
> >have ever seen in the Twin Cities. Even more than in a cafe during
> >CedarFest.
> >
> >Other than a gyro and coffee cafe anchor, there was 25 or so stalls
selling
> >brightly colored silk and silk/cotton blend cloth for women's head
scarves
> >and men's shirts and suits, videos and music, and computers.
> >
> >They had good espresso for $1.25. They also had a pastry case with a
variety
> >of dough wrapped goodies with no signs. Did not try.
> >
> >Anyone try this stuff before, where is the best Somali food in TCs?
> >
>
>
> Typical Somali fare here in the Cities is quite delicious.  Mostly
> dishes with chicken and rice, although there is also goat meat, which
> tastes similar to pot roast (beef).  Often accompanied by a flat
> bread, an iceburg lettuce salad, a banana and orange drink.  The
> Somalis really like pasta with tomato sauce, but this is typical
> american/italian style.
>
> It's all in the rice, which is magical.  The flavor varies from one
> day to the next, depending on the whim of the cook.
>
> There are a quite a number of Somali restaurants, the food is always
> good, although be prepared for culture shock.  The kitchens are clean
> despite the outward appearance in some instances.
>
> Try:
>
> Mogadishu - On 32nd near the 35W/Lake street interchange, east of 35W.
> Banadir - 25th and Franklin
> Jubbaland - Franklin & Chicago
> Carmel Cafe - The place you mentioned above, also cooks meals, I
> think.
> Aruba - way East on Lake Street, over by Wal Mart, I think.
> There are others...
>
> Expect to be the only non-Somali, but don't feel uncomfortable.  It is
> appears to be customary for the Somali men to eat separate from the
> women and they sometimes forgo the use of utensils.  There is often no
> menu, but order chopped chicken and rice, you will get an orange drink
> or a soda and a banana and the salad.  The cost is always $7.  I've
> been to each of these places and others dozens of times and never had
> any problems.
>
> Good Luck,
>
> J. Ross