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Showing results for tags 'Little Ethiopia'.
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mama desta's restaurant on georgia avenue is the first taste of ethiopian cuisine i recall a couple of decades ago, and we had some favorites in adams morgan for a while before eventually tiring of the food. but reading todd kliman has rekindled our interest, and our initial return to ethiopian revealed that there are once again some new things happening in these kichens, whose origins in washington were full of novelty. we thought we would be eating at his favorite ethiopian restaurant in the area last night, sodere. finding it closed, we turned the corner of ninth and u to find etete just a couple of doors down. this is a narrow restaurant, with eight tables for two and a few tables with bar stools and a small bar. its furnishings are surprisingly contemporary, and it has the appearance of wanting to be half a bar hangout, although the selections, which include alcohol, are a bit limited. i had a harrar beer, which was very mellow and i would say it had a note of honey. it was a good accompaniment to the food. we ordered a fasten vegetable sampler that included good renditions of greens, lentils, potatoes and carrots, and a small lettuce and tomato salad that was a bit out of place. the centerpiece of our meal was tikul, a mound of ground (whipped) beef, and it stole the show. soft, buttery, (my wife thinks cheesy) and with a mysterious (to us) spice, with a great, unique flavor. lentil sambusas were soft and slow-burn spicy, and the injera had a more interesting, tripe-ish texture than the smoother versions served in the old days. the waitresses here are glamorous and nice, although they may not have enough command of the english language to tell you what's in your beef. for that, you might attempt to get the answer from the chef herself, who was totally engrossed in her preparations from what we could see through the swinging door to the kitchen at the end of the room. i'm not sure who's allowed to invade the kitchen, but one customer did, probably a regular or friend or relative, dressed up as some sort of chieftain, and he exited back through the restaurant a bit later with a big plastic bag of carry out. the disappearing into the kitchen for extended periods includes the waitresses, who are apologetic about their long absences without really having to be. we were well aware that we had entered another time zone, and appreciated the leisurely pace. a solitary diner, on the other hand, was in and out quickly. on a sunday night, there were about a dozen customers over an hour-and-a-half span. outside and after dark, this may not be the safest neighborhood to be strolling around in, but there is a metro station just one block away if you're worried. -
Experience a True Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony in L.A.'S Little Ethiopia, by Maral Tavitian in LA Weekly. Sounds like a better way to live.
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My fav spot, Zenebach, has been a little hit-or-miss lately. And, let's face it, the only reason people go to Etete is that it's the closest thing to a standard American restaurant in decor and service in Little Ethiopia -- the food there hasn't been exciting for a while, but your Aunt from Cincinnati won't be put off by random service strategies, suspect (to her eyes) sanitation, or a too-fiery wat. So we dropped randomly into Axum (1934 9th) for a snack last night. Didn't get much, just a vegetarian assortment for the young ladies and a spicy dried beef/injera preparation and a lamb wat for us manly men. Came away favorably impressed -- assertive but not ridiculous spicing marked by depth as well as heat, tasty vegetables and legumes, friendly service and an owner that cared enough to send me an extra gin and tonic and wave goodby. I won't get into ranking the place against other establishments, but I'd definitely drop in again. And the kids, who have consumed restaurant criticism and Ethiopian food since they were old enough to cram a fistful of injera into their gap-toothed mouths (since Zed's was the benchmark establishments, in the old location), came away enthusiastic, as well. Give it a shot. -
Last night, MBK and I attended an Ethiopian cooking class at this new restaurant just a few doors down from Etete (1924 9th St, NW). They have only been open for 3 months. It was a fun night organized through the International Club of DC. All of the restaurant employees were as lovely as you could imagine - very friendly and hospitable. More importantly, however, the food was wonderful. After the cooking demonstration they served us full platters of a variety of vegetarian dishes and a couple of meat dishes. Everything was delicious. Etete had been my favorite since I tried it a over 2 years ago, but I think that next time I am going to give Little Ethiopia a try. My favorite dish was the beets and I hope they have that on their vegetarian platter. The decor is very traditional. The woman who hosted the event (the owner?) explained that everything in the restaurant was straight from Ethiopia and that they wanted people to feel like they had gone to Ethiopia without buying a plane ticket. I urge you to give this place a try. I don't know how they'd do with a large group, but perhaps a $20 Tuesday is in order. -
I've been craving a hearty Ethiopian meal for months. It seems whenever I met up with friends for meals in the District I was conveniently talked into regular haunts, comfort food or new American...never Ethiopian. Happily that sad trend came to an abrupt hault this past Friday with a side trip to Dukem. One of my friends and I were guilted into making an appearance at a happy hour on 16th Street in honor of an acquaintance who was back in town for a visit. Since we were close-by and looking for an escape, we decided to tear out early and try something new. Having never ventured outside of Adams Morgan for my Tibs, we made our way down U Street looking for a parking space. A word to the wise: Don't walk into Dukem on a Friday night at 7:30 without a reservation (who knew they took them?). We lucked into a very small table for two squashed up against the half wall divider that greets you at the front door. It was weird eating with people's heads floating so close above you throughout the meal, but once the food arrived, I zoned in on the Injera. My friend and I shared the vegetable combo II with 7 items (Spicy split lentil, yellow peas, greens, cabbage, shiro, salad, potato in spicy sauce) and an order of Dukem Special Tibs (Lamb Cubed tender lamb marinated with our secret sauce sauteed onion rosemary, tomato, jalapeno touch of fresh garlic). Pretty safe choices, but absolutely excellent! The lamb was perfectly spiced and wasn't hidden under a ton of sauce so it blended well with pinches of each of the veggies on the plate. Since we'd done happy hour before heading over for dinner, we passed on wine or an Ethiopian beer, bringing our tab to a measley $26 for the two of us. Cheap eats, indeed! After dinner at Dukem, the next Ethiopian craving will be squashed much sooner to be sure!!! -
We've been liking Roha lately, just down the street from Dukem. Small portions than a lot of places, but bracingly (not overly) spiced.
