Ledet Ethiopian

Lamb tibs (center) with vegetarian platter surrounding. We also had the doro wat (chicken with boiled egg).

I recently met up with friends to celebrate a birthday at Ledet Ethiopian. This quality Ethiopian spot is located at what I call "Ethiopian Corner" (corner of Briarcliff and Clairmont) in DeKalb County. The service, although a bit slow to start, was quicker than most Ethiopian places (other than Desta, which is my favorite modern Ethiopian restaurant) and the food was good. We found both the sambusas (below) and the salad dressing (not pictured) to be quite spicy even for our versatile palates. The main dishes, however, were very pleasing and it didn't hurt that was had a Scoutmob to take $20 off the bill. The doro wat, which is chicken in a rich sauce with a whole hardboiled egg included, was the best dish we tried. The vegetarian sampler was also very good.

The sambusas had a lot of flavor - too much flavor for most of my dining companions as there were huge chunks of very spicy jalepeno peppers inside. I'm not usually one to ask a restaurant to turn down the spice but in this case, they should do just that, or at least have two varieties: regular and extra spicy!

Desta Ethiopian - still fabulous

Strawberry cake at Desta Ethiopian Kitchen - the extremely bright photo resulted from taking this outside in the dark!

I returned to Desta a couple of weekends ago to find the same wonderful food I tried for the first time last August, especially the fish tibs served with salad and the vegetarian platter. This place is great for a quick Ethiopian meal. They also have a nice deck and stay open late. If you've never had Ethiopian food, you owe it to yourself to try it - see my previous post here.

Amy's Ethiopian Food & Cafe

It's hard to believe I waited this long to try a restaurant that not only sports my name, but is also near where I work and live. On Friday night Amy's Ethiopian had several tables open including one by the window. Our waitress was very nice, and she took our order effectively and accurately although her spoken English was not the best. We said we liked "spicy" and she suggested the spicy lamb tibs. Although the dish was not at all fiery, it was tasty and enjoyable. The vegetarian platter was interesting, and although we never figured out what every item was, we ate all that was on the platter. Compared to other Ethiopian places in the city, the food here did not overwhelm me. However, the service was very warm and friendly and the atmosphere was relaxed. Also, the food did not take inordinately long to arrive, as it tends to do at some Ethiopian places. I would return here in the future for some qualify Ethiopian fare close to home. The owner/chef graciously came up to speak with us after we'd eaten and was pleased to see that we'd devoured almost everything. If you've never tried Ethiopian food before, TRY IT! You eat with pieces of injera (spongy bread made from teff flour) and no cutlery is used. It's definitely a unique dining experience, reminding me again how diverse the world's cuisines can be.

The small storefront on Cheshire Bridge Road.



Spicy lamb tibs with salad, cabbage and extra injera.



Vegetarian platter - my favorites were the yellow lentils, the cabbage and anything with jalepenos!

DESTAnation

Fish with salad and fresh injera

Fish with salad and lamb tibs

Vegetarian sampler platter

Desta has become one of my favorite Ethiopian restaurants in Atlanta. Situated at the corner of Clairmont and Briarcliff, it shares the corner with several other restaurants serving Ethiopian food. I found the taste here as well as the service and atmosphere, very pleasing. The wait was also shorter than average for Ethiopian food, which many know can take longer than you ever thought possible (I'm reminded of a now-closed place in Hampton, Virginia where a friend and I waited over an HOUR for lunch to arrive at an Ethiopian restaurant in 2005 - we were the only patrons!).

But the main attraction here is the food: the fish (we learned later it's tilapia) with salad is simply amazing. I have been craving it ever since I tried it the first time. The flavors are pungent yet not overwhelming and the lightness of the fish allows more room to use the spongy injera to soak up the juices from the meat and from the delicious salad. The lamb dish we tried was good, but not as unique or exceptional as the fish. The vegetarian platter was steller, with quite a variety including my favorites - the collards and carrots & potatoes. When I go back, I'll be lobbying whoever goes with me to share the fish and the veggie platter.

Desta Ethiopian Kitchen

3086 Briarcliff Road

Atlanta, GA 30329

404-929-0011

Queen of Sheba

Look at my hand compared to that plate!

Yesterday I went out with a group of friends to Queen of Sheba, one of the better Ethiopian restaurants in Atlanta. Luckily we had enough people to order the GIANT platter of food, getting tastes of beef, chicken, lamb and vegetarian dishes. Ethiopian cuisine is one that I cannot eat often, but when I get a craving for it I can't stop myself. You use your fingers to hold pieces of injera (sourdough-like flat bread made from a grain called teff), which you use to eat the various stews that come on the platter. Afterwards, you eat the injera soaked with all the yummy juices.

My favorite is usually the lamb, especially with the red awaze sauce that you can get mixed in or on the side. The collards are also notably good as are the potatoes, cabbage and carrots.

On Thursday evenings, Queen of Sheba has live jazz beginning at 8 PM.

The plate was HUGE!