http://littleethiopiarestaurants.com/
Last Sunday after a grueling hour and a half on the soccer pitch, I traveled with friends to little ethiopia on fairfax ave. The adventure there was fantastic. The area we found quaint and thrifty. I felt transplanted into the Midwest for an afternoon.
We arrived there at about two pm and found the restaurant to be full. It was a tad smaller than I had imagined, taking up two shotgun style storefronts. The place had a lively feel and a good mix of visitors, a signal to me that it bypassed a high quality threshold.
There was a native-style sitting area up in the front window area that the owners' family was seated in that gave warmth and cultural flavor.
We were seated immediately and welcomed by the menu. On it, doro wat and Ethiopian coffee, which I both love, greeted us. We ordered both and a side of lentils.
What a deal! Our dish was huge, flavorful-to-spicy, and accompanied by not one but two portions of our lovely side dish.
At first bite, I was more enamored with the side dish, but with time it turned out that the deep dark flavor of the doro wat was more enticing. It came with two chicken legs and an egg, an odd accompaniment. Apparently though that dish is the one that's most popular at the restaurant.
I would definitely go back to Little Ethiopia Restaurant in a heartbeat. It was soulful and more quaint than I had imagined, given its namesake and accolades. It wasn't the cleanest of places, but the food was flavorful and distinct and frankly, sam, that's what I look for when I go out to eat.
Latas,
Claire
