Ras Plant Based, the first organic, locally sourced Ethiopian restaurant in Crown Heights officially started pickup and delivery service. It is the first organic, locally sourced Ethiopian restaurant that opened in Crown Heights on March 7th.
Ras, which stands for prince and literally head in Ethiopian, is the passion project of husband and wife owner team Chef Romeo Regalli and Milka, who own Ethiopian Brooklyn restaurant Awash. After completely re-invigorating the Awash space, the duo knew they were ready to set out on their own journey and open Ras. The team aims to create a community-focused restaurant that highlights both classic and modern takes on Ethiopian cuisine, all housed in a colorful and playful Ethiopian-influenced graffiti clad urban space.
The Focal point of the restaurant is Chef Regalli's Ethiopian Platter, which can be shared or served for one person. A variety of different spreads are found on a base of injera, a traditional spongy flatbread originating from Ethiopia that is made with Teff flour that rests for three to four days helping to decrease the sugar levels. The vegan spreads include Gomen, braised collard greens with diced tomatoes and sautéed onions; Missir, Regalli's great grandmother's recipe of slow simmered red lentil stew with a fiery berbere sauce and minced onions; Yater Kik, slow cooked split pea with turmeric and herb seasoning; Minchet Abish Wat, pea protein crumble with a spicy berbere sauce, fenugreek and a spice infused oil; Zuchhini Alicha, crunchy zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, celery and parsley; Fasolia, string beans with carrots and caramelized onions; Missir Alicha, mild brown lentil stew with fenugreek; and Key Sir, savory beetroot with diced carrots and sautéed onions. Two of the non-traditional options guests will find are the Yatakilt Alicha, a medley of cabbage and carrots with an Americanized twist of bell peppers, and finished with agave and turmeric; and Shiro, creamy ground chickpeas with an intricate spice blend for the perfect amount of heat.
Apart from the platters, the restaurant offers a number of fusion entrees with choices such as Enguday Tibs, tender portobello mushrooms with tomatoes and jalapenos, and Ras Special Tibs with sautéed seitan with tomatoes and jalapenos in a zesty berbere sauce, which are both traditionally made with beef. The Ras Kitfo is a take on the classic kebab made with minced impossible meat with spice infused olive oil and mitmita, which is a powdered seasoning, red in color, made with bird's eye chili peppers, Ethiopian cardamom, cloves and salt.
Ras Plant Based has hours of operation Monday to Saturday from 2PM - 9PM and is closed on Sunday. Visit www.rasplantbased.com or telephone 718-622-6220. For delivery and takeout please visit: https://www.toasttab.com/ras-plant-based/v3. The online menu can be found here: https://www.toasttab.com/ras-plant-based/v3. The restaurant is on Grubhub, Uber Eats and Caviar.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ras Plant Based
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