*Ethiopian Food

M: Why is it that you don't know or remember tons of things but you seem to remember nearly every meal you've had?

In preparing for this post, I realized that I distinctly remembered all of the Ethiopian restuarants that I've been to and most of the people that shared the meals with me. I first laid hands on the spongy, addictively tangy sourdough bread (injera) the summer of 1998. I had just been introduced to R by my Wellesley friend and we were going on our first date. She picked Meskerem in Adam's Morgan and it was really fun. We sat on these littls stools around a small woven table (mesob) that looked like a mushroom. It was fun and really intimate to take a piece of injera and dig right into the flavorful little piles of things in sauce.

Since then, my Wellesley girls and I would go to Addis Red Sea throughout our college years. Back in the city, I frequented Meskerem on Macdougal because for some reason I was always in that area - gay stuff, shopping, the school thing. I did try the Meskerem on 47th with M & E but found it salty. J introduced C and I to Queen of Sheba and I don't know if the food was seasoned by hunger from 2 hours of rock climbing or if it is really just that darn good, but it was so yummy. And for one of our dates, M took me to Dukem which proved its reputation as the best Ethiopian restuarant in the DC area. I highly recommend the DUKEM SPECIAL TIBS (Cubed tender lamb or beef fried marinated with our dukem special sauce sautéed with onion rosemary, tomato, jalapeno touch of fresh garlic). Last night, I found myself back at Meskerem with B&C, stuffing nearly all of the collard greens into my face and loving sharing a meal with them.

I generally order a combo meal to get a bit of everything but I especially love: timatim fitfit (who doesn't love a bread salad), tibs wat, and the collard greens. Note, service at all the restuarants I've been to has been leisurely and the bread does expand in your stomach so be prepared to feel REALLY full (one could eat less but it is nearly impossible to exercise that kind of control).

Meskerem, 2434 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009 (202) 462-4100
Addis Red Sea, 544 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116 (617) 426-8727
Meskerem, 124 Macdougal St, New York 10012 Btwn W 3rd St & Minetta Ln Phone: 212-777-8111
Meskerem, 468 W 47th St, New York 10036, Btwn 9th & 10th Ave Phone: 212-664-0520
Queen of Sheba, 650 10th Ave, New York 10036 Btwn 45th & 46th St Phone: 212-397-0610
Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant, 1114 - 1118 U Street (12th Street NW), Washington D.C. 20009 202-667-8735