Recent Ethiopian Concert, by Sheba Restaurant for Florida Tilahun Gessesse- Jan 13, 2007

June 20, 2004
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: features the music and dance of Ethiopia, in recognition and celebration of millions of refugees, who have contributed to and enriched cultures throughout the world. International Refugee Day
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The Florida Times-Union

October 3, 2003

Authentic, down-to-earth and delicious By Alan Austin
Special to the Times-Union

And now for something completely different. Are you tired of the tried and true? Is the old ennui getting you down? Does escargot seem ordinary, and bruschetta? -- forgetta! Maybe there are there times when even a rack of lamb makes you hanker for something different?

Then how about a taste of Africa? And, no, not just Africa, but a cuisine steeped in history dating back to King Solomon.

You can find it at Queen of Sheba in a shopping center on Bowden Road, a mile east of Interstate 95. The restaurant is a storefront with just three booths and eight tables, and a little space left for dancing, or more tables, just in case.

Most of us would find it hard to identify -- or even have the slightest idea of -- the dishes that make up the cuisine of ancient Abyssinia, or as it's know today, Ethiopia. But it's nothing fancy. We're talking simple, down-to-earth dishes such as Sheba Kilikel -- just your basic biblical platter of Ye Beg Wot Fit Fit (lamb braised in red pepper sauce), Kiffo (beef with spiced butter) and Yeabesha Gomen (steamed collard greens seasoned with garlic and chillies).

But before we start explaining the wonders of dishes such as Awaza, Gored-Gored, Alitcha Fit-Fit and Minchet Abish, let us warn you that very likely the Queen of Sheba is the only restaurant in Jacksonville that does not offer silverware -- here, you tuck the food into a torn-off piece of Injera pancake and eat it with your fingers.

And sure and begorra, it's easy enough to eat with your fingers when it's an appetizer in the form of a triangular bun called Sambusa ($2) -- a pastry shell bursting with the fragrance of lentil beans (yes, lentil beans are fragrant), onion, green peppers and herbs. And every dish will be served on top of Injera pancakes made from an Ethiopian type of buckwheat. Depending on the size of your order, these pancakes may be big or small, but pliable and more than adequate to help you scoop up whatever dish you've ordered.

One entree that you should not pass up is Goden Tibs ($10) -- baby back ribs sauteed with onions, black and green peppers and rosemary. The flavor suffusing the riblets was exquisite -- sweet and sour and somehow nutty. The only room for improvement was in the quality of the meat -- in contrast with the succulent pork clinging to the ribs, the boneless cubes of meat were a tad on the tough side, especially when one has to eat without cutlery.

Some of this Ethiopian exotica is quite simple, yet gourmet fare. For example, Bozena Shiro ($7) -- yellow split peas and chopped prime beef simmered in a hot red-pepper "berbere" sauce -- melds beautifully with the T'ef, or lovegrass, full-flavored and moist Injera pancakes.

Special Kiffo ($10) is ground lean beef -- browned a bit on the skilled, but essentially rare, very much like a steak tartare -- topped with spiced butter and sprinkled with two kinds of homemade cheese (one, like ricotta) and finely chopped collard greens.

Doro Wot ($9) is a house specialty and, arguably, the queen mother of Queen of Sheba dishes. The menu's simple explanation of it as a chicken stew simmered in red pepper, garlic, onions and spiced butter does not do it justice. It was permeated with an aromatic sweetness reminiscent of honey, in tandem with a robustness hinting of sage, turmeric and nutmeg.

We have mentioned the Sheba Kilikel ($10) house specialty -- i.e., Ethiopian favorite -- and its close second is Alitrcha Fit-Fit ($8), or lamb stew -- intermixed with stuffed Injera, seasoned with garlic, ginger and tumeric. While the flavor was intriguingly sour, the consistency was satisfying, with the lamb morsels wrapped in Injera.

A dish that each of us, descendants of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, should try is a very simply named Vegetarian Combination ($7) -- consisting of Kik Alicha, Misir Wot, Yeabesha Gomen and Yekik Alicha. If the mellifluous beauty of the words is not enough to whet your appetite, let me translate it as a large platter of peppery beans, lovely tufts of garlic-covered collard greens and a ragout of red beans, peppers and garlic overlaying the ubiquitous Injera pancakes. It's delicious and as much as anyone could eat.

Desserts? After two months of the restaurant's existence, there were none -- none, until a pasty chef familiar with Ethiopian cuisine can be hired (they're working on it, I was told). In the meanwhile, this exotic Abyssinian oasis is the perfect antidote to the ordinary.

This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/
stories/100303/ent_13676855.shtml.