DISH OF THE WEEK in New York: Shashemene Bowl at RAS PLANT BASED

I hope Ras Plant Based succeeds on Bleecker Street, but I am cynical. It seems to me that this block of Bleecker between Sixth Avenue and LaGuardia is one of the most difficult streets to keep a small food business going. I can’t tell you how much turnover I have seen in the years that I’ve been here.

Ras Plant Based has taken a chance in this corner storefront bringing their highly acclaimed vegan Ethiopian dishes from their already successful Crown Heights location. I had been wanting to try their food for a long time, but I never got to their Brooklyn spot.

So hopefully I am one of many who are now flocking to their brand new Greenwich Village restaurant.

I visited for a late weekday lunch, which is not a good indicator of how busy they have been. But I was able to get in with no problem and have a peaceful and very enjoyable healthy bowl.

Every time I have had Ethiopian food, it’s been a variety of stews and salads served with injera bread for dipping. Ras Plant Based has turned those experiences into hearty bowls.

My server recommended the Sashemene Bowl which featured some distinct warm and cold vegetable dishes along with injera crumble which provided some wonderful crunchy texture.

This brown rice bowl featured a creamy yellow split pea stew with the surprising addition of lime, a cold beet and potato salad, salty collard greens, stir fried beets and carrots, warm stewed cabbage with a decent amount of heat, and a cooling avocado salad in the center.

Every dish was hearty and flavorful and complimented each other well. I actually preferred this way of eating Ethiopian food (rather than the quickly filling dips) and I also thought it was one of the better bowl presentations I’ve had around the city. So, taken all that into account, this is a must order – especially for someone looking for a healthy, hearty lunch.

If Ras Plant Based keeps up this quality, they might just be on Bleecker for a while. Price: $20