February 15, 2006
Shaw's Newest Ethiopian Restaurant
Last Saturday DCist checked out one of the newest Ethiopian restaurants to open in D.C., Queen of Sheba. You may remember from this September City Paper story that the restaurant found their efforts to obtain a liquor license thwarted by Shiloh Baptist Church, which operates a child care center next door to the new restaurant and is located directly across the street. The church has also moved to block the license of Vegetate, located a block away. In both cases the church contended that the restaurants were too close to the nearby Seaton Elementary school, however they are curiously silent about the liquor store they share the corner with -- or the nearby Giant Supermarket which sells beer and wine until 10 p.m. during the week.
Although we couldn't help but wish the restaurant could offer honey wine, we decided to drop by on Saturday to try the cuisine. We were pleasantly surprised to discover some of the best Ethiopian cuisine we've tasted in the District at some of the best prices. The space has been tastefully remodeled in a subdued modern style, and the clientele while we were there was composed of what appeared to be some friends of the owners and several people from the neighborhood, including one family. The service was friendly and prompt, but although the restaurant was nicely remodeled it lacked some of the finer touches of more romantic spots like Etete up the street. According to neighborhood organization Shaw Main Streets, the restaurant is planning to install artwork and a new sign soon.
The menu consisted of a number of pork and beef dishes prepared in traditional Ethiopian styles (Kitfo, tibs, and the like), but no chicken. The two meat dishes we ordered were served with a traditional tomato salad and lentils, along with plenty of fresh injera. While we're far from an expert in Ethiopian food, our order was freshly prepared and flavorful. The best part? The tab for a very hearty meal for two came to $21. Although the restaurant doesn't have the biggest menu (Dukem) or the most romantic atmosphere (Etete) we've seen, Queen of Sheba delivers on excellent, reasonably priced Ethiopian cuisine.
Queen of Sheba is located at 1503 9th Street, NW, about three blocks from the Shaw/Howard University Metro station, and is open until 3:00 a.m. on weekends and midnight during the week.
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[yawn]
Is there THAT much of a demand for Ethiopian food in Shaw? No decent red-check-tablecloth Italian restaurants (RIP Ristorante AV), no decent jewish delis, but a dozen Ethiopian places? I guess you have to serve what sells, but c'mon.
And Shiloh needs to step off the no-liquor-license bandwagon. Restaurants subsidize their food sales through liquor sales. Fact of life. I'm sure they'd have no problem with Vegetate if it were run by one of their parishoners from P.G. County.
I hate to say this but if you need to get a good colon cleanse ethiopian is your best bet.
I am happy for anything on the block (I am currently living up the street). Of course the other end of the block has huge pit that is surrounded by boards.
It just bothers me how Shiloh can stop liquor licenses because they claim it will bring a bad element (or whatever there reasoning is), while the own several empty, boarded up properties. Hypocrisy comes to mind.
For those enthusiasts of Ethiopian cuisine willing to trek out to Arlington, Dama on 1503 Columbia Pike offers an Ethiopian restaurant attached to an Ethiopian Market which is also connected to an Ethiopian Bakery & Cafe.
I can't vouche for the restaurant, which seemed a bit shabby, but the cafe has amazing atmosphere and offers a couple of sweet and savory Ethiopian pastries. One pastry, in particular, though a tad greasy, was otherwise revelatory: fried dough interspersed with toasted cumin seeds. It's worth checking out for that alone.
For those enthusiasts of Ethiopian cuisine willing to trek out to Arlington, Dama on 1503 Columbia Pike offers an Ethiopian restaurant attached to an Ethiopian Market which is also connected to an Ethiopian Bakery & Cafe.
I can't vouche for the restaurant, which seemed a bit shabby, but the cafe has amazing atmosphere and offers a couple of sweet and savory Ethiopian pastries. One pastry, in particular, though a tad greasy, was otherwise revelatory: fried dough interspersed with toasted cumin seeds. It's worth checking out for that alone.
shiloh baptist church was a negligent slumlord and still is. they own a bunch of rat traps on 9th street. that use to be the methodist church before the riots and then shiloh moved it and changed the churches name. not a church hater just telling the truth.
My understanding is that churches are in sort of a double bind: they don't have the money to develop abandoned properties (many donated by parishoners), neither can they afford to pay the delinquent taxes and sales taxes associated with selling the property.
That said, last time I checked, close to half of the abandoned properties in DC were owned by churches. And thanks to their tax exempt status, they're off the city's tax rolls. You never hear that little fact during the perpetual campaign speeches about "our need for affordable housing."
I realize this might start a flame war...but if this gets you thinking then it will have been worth posting. I'm not racist, but do notice DC communities divided along racial lines, when the root of the issue is socioeconomic. In order to bring all of these diverse cultures and ways of thinking together for the common good of society, we must first recognize the actual causes of the social stratification that reinforces itself as DC becomes more developed while so many of its citizens are left out of the growth and so-called progress.
So: How come in the gentrification debate, educated, employed, and generally kind and moral people are villainized and made to look like they're responsiblie for the demise of neighborhoods? How come respectable businesses that serve decent food can't serve liquor to go with just because they're near a church with a community tight enough to lobby against these new businesses opened by outsiders. There are community members already in these neighborhoods who--rahter than working--can be found by the bus stop all day long with forties (or fortified wine) in hand. How can the churches seriously make the argument that new restaurants with liquor licenses are harming the community, when the people opening and patronizing the restaurants are productive citizens who probably support values like work and education in order to get where they are.
What do you want? If you won't take care of your neighborhood, we (the "gentry") will...it's too central and there are too many of us for it to be neglected. But the thing is, we want you to stay here and enjoy in the new prosperity and become a part of the new, thriving neighborhoods just as you are part of their tradition. We just don't want to be seen as villains because the land is worth something after our condos are built and there are Starbucks and bistros rather than liquor stores and bodegas. That said, I'm paying out the ass to be here...if PN Hoffman can profit off me like that, I for one would be thrilled to know that some of my rent and/or tax dollars went back to making some of the new housing affordable housing.
But the bottom line is that before we can bridge the gaps between these fragments of the DC communities, we must care about eachother.
GREAT restaurant--I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Ethiopian food.
I have been here several times, and each time, the service and food were EXCELLENT.
Interestingly, I have found the vegetarian options to be better than the fare offered at Vegetate, down the street (at a lot lower prices).
Shame on Shiloh Baptist for holding back this family-owned restaurant with respect to blocking its liquor license application. Shiloh is a terrible neighbor to everyone in Shaw.