Cafe Lalibela:Ethopian Cuisine

I had never tasted Ethopian cuisine, so when Phil and Ellen suggested an Ethopian restaurant one night during my visit to Phoenix, I thought they were kidding. Always game for something new, I said yes, and was delighted with the whole experience.

Ethopian food is similar in many ways to other North African cuisines. Both vegetarian and non vegetarian choices abound. Many of their dishes are stews, with a variety of meats, beans, vegetables and spices. No utensils are used. A staple in Ethopian cuisine is injara. This is a very large pancake, made from a sour dough batter, that is cooked on one side, then taken out of the pan and folded several times into a large triangle. Injara is torn off and used to scoop up the various stews and salads. It's a delicious and rather primitive way to eat, but I just loved it. Here's what we had.

Since I had no idea what to order, Phil ordered for us all. They brought us a huge platter, lined with injara, and topped with about 8 different dishes. Alicha sega wat (beefe cubes simmered in kibae, onion, turmeric and spices), yebeg alicha sega wat (lamb cubes simmered in the same ingredients), azifah (brown lentils blended with onion, green pepper and spices), gomen (collard greens cooked with garlic and onion), salad with cabbage, onions and tomato, and a deep fried cubed beef with spices were just some of the items on the platter. There was really nothing I didn't like, and several things that I loved. The collard greens were fabulous. The deep fried beef was tender and delicious. Several of the chicken dishes really impressed me too. We finished everything, and although it looked like a lot of food, I wasn't stuffed. It takes a while to eat with injara, tearing off pieces and deciding what to try next, it's a real experience.

Although it was an Ethopian restaurant, the desserts were from everywhere, which struck me as funny. We ended up with a piece of tres leches cake, which was fantastic. (it's from South America. I've had it in a Peruvian restaurant, but it may also be found in other countries.

The evening at this little restaurant in a Tempe, Arizona strip mall was a winner. I would definitely go back there, and if I can find an Ethopian restaurant in San Diego I may try it. Come to think of it, I think I've seen one near Hillcrest. Did you know that Phoenix has an Ethopian population of over 2,500 people? I found that interesting.