My wife and I went to dinner at Road to Karakash on Wednesday. The restaurant is located on Atwood Street in Oakland, about halfway between Mad Mex and Spice Island Tea House. Here is a brief review of the (very pleasant) experience. The restaurant has about 6-8 tables, some of which allow you to eat off a low table while seated on cushions on the floor. The decor is simple but engaging. The menu offers the choice of about 10 appetizers and 10 entrees, with about 3 in each category being vegetarian. The dishes are identified by the country they're from (spans Africa, the Middle East and Asia). We ordered a plate of African fritters (a mix spicy yam and sweet plantain fritters) for starters. We had taken a bottle of wine, which the hostess opened, placed in an ice-bucket and returned with two goblets: very impressive service, and they dont even charge a corkage fee! For our main course, I ordered Doro Wat, a spicy Ethiopian chicken curry that was served with a nice salad, rice and a couple of wedges of pita. My wife ordered the West African Chickpea Curry, which was served with salad, coconut rice and the pita. The chickpea curry consists of chick peas slow cooked in a fragrant coconut gravy with a few other veggies. Both entrees were extremely good, and the portions were generous. Service was pleasant and prompt. Total before tip: $19. All in all, a really unique and pleasant restaurant. We will definitely return. FYI, they are now also open for lunch. They close pretty early at dinnertime, though (9 pm).
Pittsburgh, PA