Queen of Sheba was visited on 12-26-14
Service:
We were greeted by a really pleasant waitress and instead of sitting at a table, we sat on these little folding chairs which had side tables attached to them. In front of us, there were there hat like structures. When they were opened, there was a beautifully weaved basket inside. Ethiopian food is eaten with hands, so the basket was placed at level with your arms.
Food:
We ordered the vegetarian sampler plate. It came with 7 sauces and 6 pieces of injera. Injera is a fermented bread and also the national dish of Ethiopia*. The 7 sauces were misir wot, ater kik alecha, shiro, shimbra asa, gomen wot, atakilt wot, and cabbage wot. Misir wot is a mixture of stewed lentils, onions, garlic, and a variety of herbs. It's quite mild and goes perfectly with the tang of the injera. Ater kik alecha is split peas (dahl) cooked with onions and garlic and a touch of turmeric to color it a rich yellow color. This tasted similar to misir wot because they were stewed in garlic and onions. Shiro is split peas stewed together in onions and berbere, a powder made out of chili peppers, garlic, ginger, basil, fenugreek, and other spices native to the area. This powder is central to most Ethiopian dishes. The shiro was really yummy, and I found that if you combined it with the cabbage and beans, it tasted lovely. For more information on the rest of what came in the sampler, check out their website http://www.shebanyc.com/index.html.
Price:
The vegetarian sampler was $16.00, really, really reasonable for 7 sauces and 6 injeras.
Overall:
Lately, I've been noticing that Ethiopian restaurants have really dark decor. In the previous review on an Ethiopian restaurant called Dallul , I had made the same point. The food was really good and the service was exceptional, so I am giving Queen of Sheba a 96%. It lost 4 marks because the "tables" were so close together and I almost knocked over someone's plate when I got up to wash my hands.
*Injera is made of teff flour which is found in Ethiopian highlands. Teff is gluten free, but when injera is made in the States, wheat four is also used.
Address:650 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10036
Phone:(212) 397-0610
Service:
We were greeted by a really pleasant waitress and instead of sitting at a table, we sat on these little folding chairs which had side tables attached to them. In front of us, there were there hat like structures. When they were opened, there was a beautifully weaved basket inside. Ethiopian food is eaten with hands, so the basket was placed at level with your arms.
Food:
We ordered the vegetarian sampler plate. It came with 7 sauces and 6 pieces of injera. Injera is a fermented bread and also the national dish of Ethiopia*. The 7 sauces were misir wot, ater kik alecha, shiro, shimbra asa, gomen wot, atakilt wot, and cabbage wot. Misir wot is a mixture of stewed lentils, onions, garlic, and a variety of herbs. It's quite mild and goes perfectly with the tang of the injera. Ater kik alecha is split peas (dahl) cooked with onions and garlic and a touch of turmeric to color it a rich yellow color. This tasted similar to misir wot because they were stewed in garlic and onions. Shiro is split peas stewed together in onions and berbere, a powder made out of chili peppers, garlic, ginger, basil, fenugreek, and other spices native to the area. This powder is central to most Ethiopian dishes. The shiro was really yummy, and I found that if you combined it with the cabbage and beans, it tasted lovely. For more information on the rest of what came in the sampler, check out their website http://www.shebanyc.com/index.html.
Price:
The vegetarian sampler was $16.00, really, really reasonable for 7 sauces and 6 injeras.
Overall:
Lately, I've been noticing that Ethiopian restaurants have really dark decor. In the previous review on an Ethiopian restaurant called Dallul , I had made the same point. The food was really good and the service was exceptional, so I am giving Queen of Sheba a 96%. It lost 4 marks because the "tables" were so close together and I almost knocked over someone's plate when I got up to wash my hands.
*Injera is made of teff flour which is found in Ethiopian highlands. Teff is gluten free, but when injera is made in the States, wheat four is also used.
Address:650 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10036
Phone:(212) 397-0610
