The Washingtonian ranks Etete Ethiopian Restaurant 77th in its ‘100 Best Restaurants’ list for 2008.
100 Best Restaurants 2008
#77 Etete
Reviewed by Todd Kliman , Cynthia Hacinli , Ann Limpert , Dave McIntyre
Cuisine: Ethiopian cooking, homey and assured—prepared and sometimes ladled out tableside by Tiwaltengus Shenegelgn, the gentle-souled etete (“mama” in Amharic) of the restaurant’s name.
Mood: The dark, incense-filled Ethiopian restaurants of a generation ago have given way here to an almost slick space—polished wood floors, dangling lights—that could pass for a wine bar.
Best for: Diners who can appreciate the sensual experience of an Ethiopian repast—you eat with your hands—and who like to linger. Westerners may find the service slow, but a leisurely style is not the prerogative of the French alone.
Best dishes: Sambusas, crispy, three-cornered pockets stuffed with lentils; lega tibs (lamb) and doro wat (chicken and egg), swimming in a complex red sauce that derives its heat from the Ethiopian compound spice berbere; the cool, mustard-spiked green-lentil dish called azifa, a necessary cooling agent; dark-roasted coffee.
Insider tips: Ordering a fasting platter—an assortment of vegetarian dishes—is a smart way to counteract the heaviness of the meat-based stews and to experience the full range of the cooking. In your choice of seven, include the gomen, or buttery collards, and the creamy yekik alicha, or yellow lentils.
5 thoughts on “Etete named among the ‘100 Best Restaurants’ in DC Metro”
Etete we dont forget what you guys did for the Ethiopian Millenium celebration back in september corporated with weyane embassy at the washington manuement a day before the Main millenium celeberation by Taitu Entetainment and others. You guys played a bad role in confusing the washington dc and metro area with a few weyane caderes. Etete was the main catering server during that day which was orcastrated by weyane. Etete dont play this kind of dirty game with weyane anymore and congradulation on your achivements.
What will you say if I tell you that Etete is one of the worst restruants ever? According to a reliable source from the kitchen Etete is a resturant which serves leftovers to its customers. Left over meat pieces from kitfo, tibis, kei wot etc. are the building blocks of the next new orders. When I heard this shocker the first thing that came to my mind was the bad consequence it results in the reputation of Ethiopians and Ethiopianism. Believe me when the mask uncovered Etete will be our source of embarrassment.
I have no problem if they serve food to weyane. Business is Business. That does not mean they believe in what Weyane stands for.
I say Mr Hagos “give them a break”. True Ethiopianism is measure by a discerning spirit not a blind accusation
I congratulate Etete for being the best. But the guy who commented on this page saying do not collaborate with woyane bla bla… is ridiculus. Hey it is a business to sell Ethiopian Food and who ever a customer is they should serve. Would you pay their bill? for that matter have you ever visit the restaurant? get out of the box man and mind your own staff do not tell some body what to do? get real Haogos or Araya the prenteder!
Unity I didnt accuse them for serving weyanes, if didnt understand my point you can go back and read it. If you remeber back in sepetember weyane called the people around washington, dc to celebrate the ethio. millenium in the name of Abebe Belew, Alemeshay Wedago, Tamagne beyene and other main organizers of the washington dc and metro area millenium fest organizers. Actually, the main orgainizers sets the date for sept. 12 night while weyane caders called up another one a day before using the names of those individulas since they knew that no one would’ve coming to any occasion if they call up any party in the name of weyane govt. As a result the people around washington dc gets very confused by the programe, since they have heared two programs in diffrent days but hosted by the same people..here is the dirty game by weyane caders. I strongly wanted to mention this on my previos comment, etete restarant knows this was a delibrate set up by weyanes to confuse the people, however the memebers of etete resturant didnt take action in previlling the truth to the people, instead they only cared how much money they could get by being the only catering server with out any opponet and by hiding the truth that they know from the people. That is why i consider that etete restarurat is responsible for playing the dirty game along weyane…they souldnt be part of this dirty game. Etete restarurant should’ve also refuse to be a part of the dirty game. But they still have the right to serve the weyane memebers any time they want to in appropriate way.