Mudai Ethiopian Restaurant in San Jose, California

Somehow I never realized this in all the years that I lived here, but there are a lot of Ethiopian restaurants along San Carlos Street. Today, I stopped by the one that was closest to downtown (503 West San Carlos Street, 408-292-2282). It was incidentally was across the street from Con Sabor a México.

Now, I don't know much about the cuisine, but there was one thing that I was after: kitfo, a minced raw beef mixed with spices and butter, and these guys had their own version with jalapeno peppers in it. It was awesome, as that tender beef not only packed some heat, but was also refreshingly citrusy, making it much edgier than steak tartare.

That all went down without utensils BTW, as one eats it with that injera flatbread that it sits on. The bread may look like an Indian uttapam, but it's served cold, and is more spongy and sour. I loved it all, and want to try the other items on the menu, not to mention the other shops down the street.