Goda's Cafe

Being an unemployed student I don't go out to eat much but a couple of friends wanted to celebrate my birthday by taking me out to eat. I had read about Goda Cafe on the corner of Nicollet and 34th St and it sounded like it would serve up some good East African fare for a good price. We were not disappointed.

My first clue that we were in for a treat was that everyone in the small restaurant when we arrived was African. Moussa, the owner, started us off with a bowl of complementary soup. I took one taste and thought, "North Africa!" I'm not sure what spices they use but it had the same flavor, while being a bit different. After all Moussa is from Djibouti which is on the other side of the continent from Morocco and Tunisia where I have spent some time. Moussa served us with wonderful African hospitality. It may have helped that we actually knew where Dijbouti is (nestled between Somalia and Ethiopia) and that two of us had spent time in North Africa. Maybe only looking at the ethnic page of the menu helped as well.

After the soup we had samosa which are so good when they are made fresh. We all ordered something different for the main course so we could share and ended up with goat, beef and fish. All of it was good. It was my first experience with goat and I'd gladly order it again - at least if Moussa is cooking it. All of it was artistically presented and served with rice and vegetables that had been cooked to perfection.

As we ended the meal, one of my friends told him it was my birthday. He was soon back with cups of chaï and a few small African cookies. He kind of apologized by saying, "I could bring you some carrot cake or cheese cake but you can get that anywhere. This is all I have from my country. Guess what is in them." I knew in a glance that they were filled with dates (which impressed him.)

Later after we'd paid, one of my friends headed home while two of us continued talking. After awhile Moussa was back with another cup of chaï for each of us. I asked if it would keep me awake. "Yes, but what does it matter? It's your birthday."