The best of both worlds

Bloomington is known for its variety of global cuisines, and Ashenda Hagos, owner of Puccini’s La Dolce Vita, continues that tradition by featuring many Ethiopian dishes on her Italian-style menu.

Hagos came to study in Bloomington and wanted to share her heritage of Ethiopian and Italian decent.

“A lot of people here were not familiar with Ethiopian cuisine,” Hagos said. “So, I figured why not go ahead.”

Hagos’ current restaurant, Puccini’s La Dolce Vita, previously included Italian and Ethiopian cuisine for two years. Hagos connected the two buildings in the late 1990s.

It featured an Italian, Tuscan atmosphere alongside a Mediterranean setup.

The restaurant had two separate kitchens, one where Hagos cooked all of the Ethiopian entrees, and the other where Italian entrees were prepared.

However, in the past few weeks the restaurant has switched back over to primarily Italian-style cooking.

“It was just too much,” Hagos said. “Managing the restaurant and cooking all the Ethiopian food everyday was not working.”

Ethiopian cooking is time-consuming and takes a lot of preparation. The technique involved with Ethiopian cooking uses two dozen different spices, including curry and cayenne pepper.

The cayenne pepper at Puccini’s comes from Hagos’s family method of preparation. First jalapeno peppers are placed to dry out in the sun for three days. Next, the seeds are removed, because this makes the peppers even healthier.

The Mediterranean dining room in Puccini’s just finished renovations this week, giving the room a more casual atmosphere featuring softer colors.

Puccini’s, now serving lunch, has a new relaxed menu for during the day.

“Lunch is great,” general manager Erik Johnson said. “We have everything from Italian sandwiches to Caesar wraps for under $10. The pizza bread is the bomb. There are several Ethiopian selections on our lunch menu as well.”

Since Ethiopian choices are still available on the lunch menu, guests can cross-order between Italian and Ethiopian.

“Guests should try our Doro Alecha, which is our chicken curry thighs served with Ethiopian salad and rice,” Johnson said.

Puccini’s has redone its bar by adding a flat screen television. Thursday night customers can enjoy $4 martinis. Mojitos are available on special during the weekends.

“We are developing a larger bar crowd where people can come into enjoy the game,” Johnson said.

Guests who come in for Italian can choose from a wide variety of pasta dishes, including gnocchi Gorgonzola and tortellini in a pesto Bolognese sauce.

“I love all the pasta,” employee Sara Scuffham said. “The chefs here taught me how to cook the alfredo sauce because it is one of my favorites.”

Puccini’s draws in many college students on first dates.

“Many times we receive calls from guests who wish to have lit candles and small flowers on the table upon arrival,” Johnson said. “We do our best to accommodate all our customers. It is one of our goals every day.”