There’s an Ethiopian Restaurant near my house that’s aptly titled “Ethiopian Restaurant.” I decided to check it out last night.

This one is in Greektown, on East Colfax at Fillmore. The colorful building isn’t shabby, but the adjacent vacant lot makes it seem so. You enter through the kitchen and small bar style area, and into a large dining room which makes up the other half. The tables are simple hard top and walls are spartan but decorated with some handiwork from the region.

When the food arrived it was a new experience! I’ve never eaten stew with my hands before. The owner brought out an enormous plate in one hand with one layer of bread on it. In his other hand was another tray with four small bowls containing the sides. He arranged the chicken, stew, and corn in little piles over the bread. My eyes darted around looking for the forks. There were none – you use your hands. Ethiopian food is slow cooked, then served on one large plate over a large round piece of warm bread called “injera.” You tear off a piece of the bread, (additional bread is served on the side,) and scoop up the beef, lamb or chicken. It sounds messy, but it’s not that difficult to form a little shovel out of bread, than fill it with the spicy pureed vegetables and side dishes.

Fortunately I was not dining with professionals, because I thought that white round item in the middle was a potato. It was in fact a hard boiled egg, which complemented the chicken and corn in a unique way.

The food was different – and now that I know what to expect I’m anxious to compare it against some other Ethiopian places. (Arada on Santa Fe is highly rated.) The only negatives: I have no idea how long traditional Ethiopian food needs to simmer, but we waited longer than expected – and others say the same. If you only fly around town with plastic you’ll need a bailout from your cash carrying friends, as they don’t accept credit cards.

They are included on the worldwide listing of Ethiopian Restaurants at ethiopianrestaurant.com

Oh and I’d really like this set of pots for my kitchen.