A Delicious and Intimate Dining Experience
Featuring natural free-range chicken, grass-fed beef, lamb & dairy from a local farm; all are antibiotic/hormone-free. All vegetarian dishes are also vegan.
Dining in Ethiopia is characterized by the ritual of breaking injera and eating from the same plate, signifying the bonds of loyalty and friendship. The quintessence of those bonds is often demonstrated in the form of gursha – that is, the placing of food in the mouth of another diner from one’s own hand.
Injera, the traditional bread made of teff, is an iron and calcium-rich grain grown in Ethiopia. However, entrepreneurs have started growing teff in this country to serve the large Ethiopian community in the United States. Injera is a large crepe-like flat bread upon which the various stew-like dishes are served. The traditional way of eating is with ones fingers, which is in itself a delicate art. In this manner, a bite-sized piece of injera is broken off to pick up a mouthful of the chosen dish.
Our dishes are characterized by the variety of spices used to give them their exotic taste. Watt, which is a stew-like dish, comes in a variety of forms – beef, lamb, chicken, and vegetables. These range from hotly spiced (with berbere, a typical Ethiopian red pepper) to very mild. The more delicately seasoned watts are called “alicha,” which contain no berbere. Fitfit or Sifinfin, another exotic staple, is a combination dish prepared with broken bits of injera. Tibbs is pan-fried meat, fish, shrimp, lamb, or vegetables. Nitter kebbeh, a specially prepared butter, is the key ingredient used for meat dishes to give them their unique flavor.
Vegetarian dishes are also a staple of our cuisine, especially during lent, a period of fifty-five days before Easter. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians are prohibited from eating all meat and meat by-products such as milk, cheese, and butter during this time. Yet the variety of watts and other dishes made with lentils, peas, flax, and other vegetables are just as wonderful and tasty as those containing meats.
PLEASE NOTE: We appreciate your business and love our customers. However, when dining at Queen of Sheba's, one entrée per person, please (or $7 sharing charge). Also, 20% gratuity applies to groups of 6 or more.