Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant

I have zero frame of reference with Ethiopian food.  After we got home, I had to Google to make sure that the spongy bread we'd eaten was actually an edible item and that we hadn't made fools of ourselves by eating our napkins and plate.  I can officially report to you that the "injera," or spongy bread, is edible.

So the deal is, you order some things, and everything comes out on a giant plate on a large pancake of injera, and everyone shares everything.  There's no silverware, no napkins (at least we didn't get any - wear jeans), and no individual meals.  Come with people who you know well enough to share food with, and people who aren't sick.  You eat by tearing pieces of injera off and scooping up the food.  It works well for the "stews" (which are not really stews, but rather piles of ingredients in sauce), less well for things like a hard boiled egg or a chicken leg.

I do not have the vocabulary to describe the flavor profile to you.  I was reminded a bit of Indian food, though the spices are certainly different.  Everything is a shade of brown, red, or yellow, and there's really no texture to anything, which was probably our biggest complaint about the food.  Mushy mushy mushy.  That said, the food was actually quite good, all of it, even if I had no idea what I was eating.

My other complaint was that, despite the fact that we said none of us knew what the hell Ethiopian food was, the server gave us zero help.  We didn't know how many items to order, we didn't know everything was shared, and when the food came out, we didn't know what was what on the plate.  We ended up with a meat and veggie sampler, which was a great choice to sample lots of things. I know one was spinach, and one was a chicken leg.  That is where my knowledge ends.

Overall, this was a solid introduction to Ethiopian food.  I would eat it again.  I just wish that I felt like I learned anything about the cuisine during my time here.  If you want to come, make reservations, because there are about three tables in this tiny space.

So far, no Ethiopian holds a candle to Ethiopian Restaurant (down the street), but this place was also pretty good.

One thing that stood out: their salads. Amazing dressing. Crack-like dressing.

I also appreciated that in order to share, you didn't have to buy the $15 per person deal, and instead just share one order of the various meats. They keep it authentic with eating on baskets. I hate to sound so American, but I prefer regular tables. I know...

I'd go back, though!

The food was good and was fun to try something new. The staff was welcoming and there was a crowd on Friday night.