Eat Great Cheap 2013One of the great things about this brick-walled, art-strewn restaurant—maybe the greatest thing—is that it has shown the dining masses that a romantic night out can be had just as surely over tibs and watsas it can over steak fritesor pasta Bolognese. No doubt that accounts for its popularity with folks who are only just learning how to use injera, the sourdough crepe that functions as bread, utensil, and even platter. The reason far more experienced diners continue to patronize the place is that its meats are of a higher quality than most in town—no small thing when you’re digging into a mound of hand-ground raw beef, as you do for the excellent kitfo—and the kitchen is deft in its use of spices and herbs. Note the sprigs of fresh rosemary that find their way into the sizzling pile-ups of lamb and beef tibs—one of many little details that elevate the operation.
Cuisine: Ethiopian
Where you can get it: 401 H St., NE; 202-675-2066
Also good: Vegetarian sampler; lamb wat.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
