Buraka

Update 11/5/13: Buraka is closed.

In a word: Spicy, but what's with the bread (saith JM).

The specs: #0053
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Yelp, Isthmus, Cap Times, At First Taste, QSC, Search for Authentic Food, Favorite Places to Eat in Madison,

Latest Buraka news and reviews

JM ate the chicken tibs and a lemonade; Nichole ate the combo plate with peanut and beef stews and a Coke.
JM gave Buraka a B+; Nichole gave Buraka an A- (see our grading rubric).

If you concentrate, you can go to Buraka's  basement dining room and imagine you're in a hotel bar in some exotic corner of east Africa, and not in Wisconsin on a rainy November night. If you concentrate. A respectable selection of local and imported beers and fancy theme drinks may help the old imagination.

While Nichole relished her two kinds of subtly flavored stew, JM enjoyed what was basically a really spicy fajita on injura. We both found the injura bread interesting and incredibly filling, but the strong vinegar overtones were galling long before the bread was gone.  And it was like a spongecake... kinda weird.

Buraka does get mad bonus points for the deluxe after-dinner mints.

Comments

[kayla]

say, injera doesn't have vinegar in it- it's a sourdough flatbread. so basically that sour twang kinda got to you after awhile? it's so interesting to hear what you thought of injera, smiles. please tell me you didn't use your fork, laugh...

i love the stuff, so if you ever wanna go back, just give me a holler. injera + wat = comfort food. because injera is sour, it's like putting sour cream with spicy salsa or yogurt with spicy indian cooking, hmmm. it just works well.

okay, now i'm hungry... :)

[nichole]

I was an injura virgin (oh, the traffic we'll get now!) until this meal - thanks for the background! The sour twang was hella sour, though, even for sourdough. Our food came piled on top of 2 pieces of bread each. I pulled the edges off with my fingers, but shamefully did resort to a fork to eat the sauce-laden bits in the middle. I'd be interested to know what experienced injura diners think of Buraka's.

[Beeka]

My Dad owns Buraka, and I think the food is great!

i recommend getting your food over rice, then having a piece of injera on the side. then you can pick up bits of your main dish + rice with the injera and it is the perfect blend of spicy, tangy, and yummy.