Eric Tadsen
Combo plates feature a choice of two entrees, like the dorowot and the peanut stew, served on injera.
If the wind is blowing the right way down Willy Street, you might catch the intoxicating scent of spice-rich Ethiopian food drifting from Buraka.
First a food cart and then a beloved State Street restaurant, Buraka has been a Madison staple since the early 1990s. After being displaced in 2013 for construction of the Hub apartment complex, it closed while owner Markos Regassa scouted a new location. In March, Buraka reopened in the former home of Jolly Bob’s. The building has been completely revamped, with warm accent colors and wood-clad walls, making the most of the long, narrow space. The back patio will open later this spring.
At the heart of Buraka’s menu are several stews, served with white rice or spread on a piece of injera, a sour Ethiopian flatbread. Entrees are often simple, featuring one or two main ingredients, but the real treat is found in their incredibly flavorful, spice-laden sauces.
Dorowot, Buraka’s most popular entree according to the menu, is an Ethiopian chicken stew. Boneless chicken and carrots are simmered in a thick red sauce, flavored with a blend of spices called berbere. The exact spices in berbere can vary, but it often includes garlic, ginger, cumin and coriander — all of which come through in this dish. Buraka’s dorowot is not spicy, but the multitude of spices make its sauce wonderfully complex. It’s hearty comfort food, like an African version of chili. A dollop of sour cream makes it an even richer experience.
The peanut stew, available vegetarian or with chicken, was less peanut-y than I wanted, but the large chunks of cauliflower in the veggie version were perfectly cooked and earthy. Likewise, tender lamb and carrots are the centerpiece of begwot, another stew.
Buraka’s menu has abundant vegetarian options. My favorite veggie dish is the misirwot, a thick lentil stew with split peas and potatoes. It’s hearty and satisfying without any of the dryness that sometimes accompanies lentils. Alicha, a curry with cabbage, carrots and potatoes, is also easy to like. The crunch and slight bitterness of the cabbage works well with the mild yellow curry. Black beans — which the menu calls a “special rich dish” — weren’t bad, but compared with the other options, are a bit boring: beans and potatoes in a red sauce that tasted very similar to that of the dorowot and begwot.
The injera, which is available with most entrees, is made on site. On my first visit, it was heavenly: wonderfully sour and spongy, a perfect vehicle for soaking up every last drop of stew.
On another day, however, it was downright inedible. The edges tasted stale, and it was so dry that it couldn’t be rolled; it was served broken in sad pieces on a bread plate. When I asked about it, the waiter assured me it was freshly made, but that the kitchen was “experimenting” with a gluten-free recipe. Another table nearby complained and left their injera untouched.
Fortunately, when I stopped back a few days later, the injera was back to normal. Still, I felt a bit betrayed at being the unwilling participant in the kitchen’s gluten-free injera experiment.
Though much of Buraka’s menu focuses on Ethiopian cuisine, a few dishes from other East African nations are included. Kenyan coconut curry is mild and sweet, a good pick for less adventurous diners. Baris, a Somali specialty, will feel familiar to fans of Indian biryani: spices like cardamom and saffron turn the rice a beautiful yellow. The flavors were strong here, but the execution was lacking. The portion — less than a cup — seemed a little paltry, even for lunch, and the chicken was dry.
While entrees feel relatively wholesome, Buraka’s appetizer menu is all about deep-fried decadence. Tostones, fried green plantains, are served dusted with chile and with an addictive spicy mayo dipping sauce, a secret recipe made by the owner.
Yucca fries are insanely good, like deluxe french fries with crispy outsides and steamy, fluffy interiors. Their flavor is a little one-dimensional, but in a good way, like mashed potatoes. More complex flavors are found in the beef and vegetarian samosas. It was the veggie version, filled with lentils, onion and tomato, that was the big winner at our table.
Both the yucca fries and the samosas were served with the same spicy mayo as the tostones. While I am a huge fan of that secret spicy sauce, it lost some of its novelty when all the appetizers we ordered came with it.
In the Oromo language, the word “buraka” means “joy and contentment,” an appropriate description for the feel of the restaurant’s cozy new location and its easy-to-like Ethiopian comfort food. With wonderfully spiced dishes, strong vegetarian offerings and comfy new digs, Buraka is back. And it’s as good as ever.
Buraka
1210 Williamson St., 608-286-1448; buraka-madison.com, 11 am-2 am daily, $5-$15
