Ethiopian
Ethiopian food spreads out a variety of curries on a pancake-like bread called Injera. You then eat it with your fingers. But this is no mere novelty, it is an excellent cuisine. My favorite dish is the Kitfo, raw beef doused with chilies and a kind of dry cottage cheese. And don't forget the potato salad.
Washington is very strong in the area of Ethiopian food, so most of the places are recommended. The less refined places tend to have spicier food, and I prefer those to Meskerem; you can pretty much pick one randomly. But Meskerem is where most of us started.
- "Washington's Little Ethiopia: A New Cluster of Restaurants Brings Exotic (Yet Inexpensive) Appeal to Ninth and U Streets," by Walter Nicholls, The Washington Post, May 18, 2005
- "Little Ethiopia Spices Up DC'S Culinary Scene," by Alex MacLennan, Hill Rag, June, 2005 (4-page pdf)
- "Washington: Nation's largest Ethiopian community carves niche," by Brian Westley, USA Today, October 17, 2005