Addis Red Sea's quality sinking?

OK, Addis Red Sea in the South End has never blown my mind. The Ethiopian restaurant has a fatal flaw: The injera, the flat bread that is both plate and utensil, lacks the beautiful tang that comes from the grain teff. Eating Addis's injera is like eating pancakes.

Still, I love Ethiopian food, and Addis is often the most convenient place to get it. In the past, the dishes eaten with this impostor injera have been good enough to scratch my itch for mittin shuro wot (spicy split peas) and yesmir alcha (spiced lentils), doro wot (spicy chicken stew) and kitfo (raw beef).

Not this weekend. Nothing was spicy. All of the flavors were toned down. A cabbage dish wasn't nearly as silky as it once was; berbere sauce mysteriously put my taste buds to sleep.

Next time I want Ethiopian food, I'll forget about convenience and try Fasika in Somerville. Or else I'll head to D.C.