I have to admit, the wedding and work got in the way of keeping up on my restaurant review. I am backlogged, backlogged back to the summer that is, BUT I am determined to still share these reviews because the fact is Gluten Free Restaurant Goers need to know where they can and cannot eat (even if it isn’t in a timely matter). So, let’s get started with Part two of my Colorado Recap, a continuation to my also delayed Part One posted in November.
The truth is I absolutely adored Colorado. It just seemed like a perfect fit to Mike and I’s personalities as food and nature lovers. I have always been in awe of standing in one place and being able to see the vastness that surrounds us by viewing the far off horizon, and it doesn’t hurt when that horizon includes mountains. It’s simply beautiful, and well, you can’t complain when there is also spectacular food:
Uchenna Ethiopian Restaurant
2501 W. Colorado Avenue #108
Colorado Springs, CO, 80904
Have you ever had a meal that left you so completely satisfied that you were left without an ability to explain it, but rather just a sense of total peace? This was my Uchenna experience to me, it seemed to be a calm in the middle of a chaotic world. The owner and Chef is Maya, who greeted us with the biggest smile and sense of happiness that I have ever gotten from someone in a restaurant. When taking our order she simply asked us “What would make you happy today”. Needless to say I was thrown off by this… Mike and I each got the vegetarian combo plate (pictured to the right), which each came with Injera (teff bread fro Ethiopia). To eat in Ethiopian culture you use your hands, meaning that you have to get dirty and personal with your food. I LOVED THIS. The food was spicy, vibrant, delicious, flavorful, and filling. Each mouth full was an experience worth pausing to admire.
Honestly, we often make food another commodity in today’s world, and treat it as such, rather than realizing it can be a great source of happiness, but here this was clearly not the case. Maya takes the time to prepare something delightful and you are made to take the time to enjoy it in equal fashion if you dare take the time to relax and slow down. Gluten free items are labeled on the main menu itself, and there are very few items that aren’t gluten free so there is variety. However, the menu isn’t extensive, but it’s a kind reminder that simple is more cases than not better than complex. After all in my eyes it’s quality over quantity any day. Overall this was a lovely experience that I highly recommend.
I give it a big old 5 Shamrocks without a doubt, in fact I would give it a 5.5 if I could (1.5 for hospitality) but I’ve limited myself to a 1-5 scale!
Food Quality: 1
The entire atmosphere of Uchenna, which means ‘Will of God’, was simply inviting and calming to the core. As we were leaving Maya asked when the last time we had been here was, we explained we never had been there. She seemed oddly stunned, and explained that she felt she knew us. Her last statement was to assure us that we will be back again someday. Maybe she is right, perhaps a move to Colorado Springs is in our future? Seems peaceful enough…
