"Eagle Rock residents, vegans, people who enjoy eating well: that’s who should prioritize a meal at Aunt Yvette’s Kitchen, a casual Ethiopian restaurant that shines with its attention to detail. Dinner at this strip mall spot starts with a hand-washing ceremony and ends with a banana split made with housemade cardamom ice cream. It’s all as pleasant and zen as it sounds, but the immensely flavorful Ethiopian cooking is what keeps Aunt Yvette’s waitlist full on weeknights. photo credit: Sylvio Martins photo credit: Aunt Yvette's Kitchen video credit: Sylvio Martins photo credit: Aunt Yvette's Kitchen The best approach to a meal here is to use the $30 vegan combo as your base: a spongy, table-sized injera lined with a rainbow of beautifully seasoned salads and stews. There are vegan and non-vegan protein entrees for the centerpiece, but prioritize the doro wat. Even if you’ve had this chicken dish a million times, the way Aunt Yvette’s version greets you with its sweet smell before you taste it is a teaser of how special it is. And such pleasures are why people keep coming back: any casual dinner at this Eagle Rock spot brings deep, unwavering satisfaction, whether you’re vegan or someone who agrees Aunt Yvette makes the best banana split you’ve had in recent memory. Maybe ever. Food Rundown photo credit: Aunt Yvette's Kitchen Vegan Combo So many vegetables, all loaded with bold flavors from garlic, chilis, and warm spices. This seven-stew combo should be the base of your meal because it's the highlight of the menu. photo credit: Aunt Yvette's Kitchen Doro Wat We’ve seen runny doro wat and gloopy doro wat, but Aunt Yvette’s is perfect. The berbere sauce has a thick gravy-like consistency and tastes like a swinging pendulum of flavors: warm and sweet, then a little spicy, and back to sweet. This is a perfect meat entree for one, but can be shared, too. photo credit: Aunt Yvette's Kitchen Whole Crispy Trout The skin is crackly, the chicharron-like meat pulls right off the bone, and there’s not a lick of excess oil. Order this entree to share and dunk each handful into the side of senafich that burns like a nice jar of dijon. photo credit: Sylvio Martins Vegan Pot De Crème Aunt Yvette calls its desserts “fun size,” but, damn, we wish this one was five times bigger. It’s spectacular. Bitter, not-too-sweet chocolate mousse complements its cardamom coconut cream that tastes like a Starbucks frap, and the sunflower seed brittle gives everything a little pinch of salt. photo credit: Sylvio Martins Banana Split Again, a 10/10 dessert that we want more of. Aunt Yvette’s housemade ice cream is what makes this banana split so special, with rotating flavors like toasty Ethiopian coffee and a black cardamom chantilly that tastes as luxurious as it sounds." - Sylvio Martins
