Asmara Cafe

I'd never heard of an "Asmara" before, but I was in a hyper curious and sociable mood so I busted open the door of this place and asked "What all kind of ethnic food you got here?"  Just so I could know.

"East African."  The guy at the counter gave me a menu.  "What all do the people of Asmara like to eat?"

"The spicy stew is the best.  Beef, chicken, or fish."  I went with the fish.  Though I was the only customer in the place and wanted to chat about East Africa, that was literally the last I saw of the guy at the counter.  I wanted to ask what part of East Africa, but a poster on the wall gave me the answer- Eritrea.

My dish came out really fast- it was a big plate of injera with a fish stew, salad, and spinach on top- just like Ethiopian food.  I tried to ask the waitress a couple of questions about the food, but she was abrupt as well.  While I wolfed down this plate (really tasty, especially the fish, though the injera was kinda dry and stale on the edges), I felt like I was sitting in the middle of a ping-pong table- an intense discussion between the customer and the waitress in Tigrigna ricocheting over my head.  I was hoping for a pause in the conversation so I could ask how to say "hello" in Tigrigna or remind everybody that the weather was nice today, but that pause didn't happen until some twenty minutes later, when I was done eating under the somewhat stressful conditions.  Some other customers came in, and they all seemed like a close-knit group.  Despite my best efforts, I felt like an outsider- but I definitely recommend this place for all Eritrean cab-driving Yelpsters.

3 stars because the spicy fish really was good.