etete

etete
1942 9th street NW, washington, dc 20009
tel: 202) 232-7600
hours: daily, 11am-1am

what was consumed: lentil sambusa, veggie combo, some other carnivorous orders of which i have to ask about each time i eat ethiopian food (you'd think i'd know what i enjoy by now, right? ... umm ... no), lots of injera! and st. george beer (must remember that this is the one that we enjoyed~)

i love ethiopian food. friend jen said it best - you just want to take the injera and wrap it around you (no, wait ... is that weird? it just sounds so delicious!). and, for real, there is nothing like eating with your hands (is that too primordial? i don't think so. that's what fingers are for, right? haha).

prior to finally getting to etete, i had read a number of different reviews, yelp entries, etc. (i have taken to their recommendations (e.g. the veggie combo) and i'm glad i have! prior to my choice of etete, i frequented dukem and other ethiopian restaurants. they are also great and i've enjoyed my time there. but from now on/for the time being, the plan is to make etete my ethiopian home (hee hee).

i love how at some ethiopian restaurants, you'll order certain dishes and they will be served out of plastic plates a la homes of chinese friends/chinese restaurants. in the end, that doesn't matter ... provided that the food that comes atop them is delicious. the sambusa definitely was. crisp, light, a just a tad spicy (resulting from the pepper and jalapenos). if i remember correctly, i had originally ordered the beef sambusa. unfortunately, they were out, but that turned out to be ok because not only do i love lentils anyway, the lentil sambusa was delicious. the filling portion (i.e., not including the corners) was about the size of my palm, so this was a great appetizer - a great start to an even greater meal ...

each time i go, i order the veggie combo, sans fish (as recommended), along with some beef or lamb or chicken (depending on the mood and depending on whom i'm with). my preference is to get either the beef or lamb that comes in a spicy sauce/seasoning. when the server comes around and pours the contents of the bowl onto the large platter, the wafting scents fill my nostrils and all i can think about is taking the warm injera, wrapping it around some sort of filling, and stuffing my face ... YUM. hahahaha ... that's another thing about whenever i go to eat ethiopian food. for whatever reason, by the time the main entree comes out, i feel so hungry that i can't help but to sit and eat ... in silence. perhaps that's the sign of good food? haha ...

a note to future diners, a recommendation that was given unto me: the small quarter of the etete dining area (even upstairs) often fills up rather quickly. making reservations is a good idea, no matter the number of people in the party, no matter the time ...

oh, ethiopian food, i look forward to our next meeting!

online: http://www.eteterestaurant.com/