The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 82

34 EMANU INTERNATIONAL FARE RESTAURANT MENU EAST AFRICAN 6063 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge 513-351-7686 www.emanu.com New home, same great food MATT MULCAHEY CIN Weekly contributor If your mother possesses any level of culinary proficiency, there's a good chance someone once told her, "You're such a good cook, you should open a restaurant." People used to say that to Emanu Mogos all the time. But unlike most mothers, she actually took the advice. A native of the East African nation of Eritrea, Mogos opened East African Restaurant in 2001 in Pleasant Ridge with the help of her husband, Yhdego, and sons Samuel and Melake. At the time she was a part-time employee of a Middle Eastern restaurant. When that restaurant's owner decided to sell, she asked Mogos if she'd be interested in taking over.

"(Owning a restaurant) is not something we planned to do," says Samuel, who came to the United States in 1987 to attend college. "We sat down and talked about it and I said, 'It's a hard job, but if you're willing to do it then why It was just like an experiment." The experiment succeeded and after six years, East African Restaurant's small 20-seat space could no longer accommodate the customer base. So the family closed the restaurant and found a larger location with better parking one block down the street. The restaurant's new home opened this past July with a few alterations. The eatery's name became Emanu and the menu now includes appetizers, such as sambussa (lightly fried thin shells stuffed with meat, green chiles and herbs) and desserts, such as honey cheesecake, per customer request.

"Back home we don't eat a lot of desserts," Samuel says. "Here, after they eat, everyone says, 'We want something The menu is still crammed full of East African delicacies, served on a communal plate for each table. And most importantly, Emanu is still doing nearly all the cooking herself. HOURS: Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

TuesdayThursday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. 345 WEEKLY VOLUME 6, ISSUE 8 SAMPLER Appetizer: Sambussa, thin shells stuffed with beef or chicken, green chiles and fresh herbs, lightly fried ($4.95) Entree: Tesbhi Derho, tender marinated chicken in lemon, stewed in a red pepper sauce with onions, garlic, ginger root and a pinch of cardamom and nutmeg ($12) Ahmelti, collard greens and lightly spiced cabbage cooked with onions and peppers ($10) Dessert: Honey cheesecake, new on the menu to satisfy those with a sweet tooth ($5.95) DAVID SORCHER I CIN WEEKLY Above: Allison Gambini of North Avondale feeds her husband Francis Gambini a sample of Eritrean cooking at Emanu. Left: Doro-watt and vegetable platter with injera, lentils and endive appetizer and a plate of various desserts are among the options at Emanu.

ENQUIRER LEIGH TAYLOR ENQUIRER NOVEMBER 5 11, 2008.