The ritual that surrounds Ethiopian cuisine is reason alone to visit this unassuming Avenue of Nations spot. Your food comes on a circle of spongy injera bread, with more bread on the side. Tear off a piece and use it to scoop the fragrantly spiced stews of meat and vegetables. The less food you actually get on your fingers, the better you are at it.
Not that the food is anything but finger-licking good. The key wot is a beef stew in a sauce and spice combination that brings moderate heat and pepperiness to the dish. Add to that some gomen, a stew of spinach sauted in olive oil with a heady dose of garlic, and you’ve got a really nice balance. Ginger root and lentils combine in the misir alicha wot. Whether carnivore or vegetarian, you will leave feeling awfully full. –Steven Sandor
11019 107 Ave., 780-428-5139, bluenileedmonton.ca
