Sunday, February 22, 2009

Finally--A GREAT Review

This is about one of my favorite Oklahoma City restaurants, The Queen of Sheba. This is Ethiopian food, and yes they do eat! I have eaten Ethiopian at a total of 3 restaurants (Ft. Collins, CO, Crystal City, VA, and OKC). I have liked them all.
Ethiopian food is traditionally served family style without silverware. In place of silverware, you use a crepe-style bread called injera. Injera is made from a self-fermenting grain called teff. I've had some injera that tastes similar to sourdough. However, the injera at The Queen of Sheba is very neutral. It's spongy in texture, yet hearty enough to scoop up delectable portions of meat and veggies.
The last time I ate there, I was with two Ethiopian virgins, including my friend Anna. I suggested we get something so that we could sample a bit of everything. They were agreeable, so we got a meat sampler that also included my favorites--delectable lentils, chickpeas, and other vegetables.
My favorite is the lentils cooked in berbere. Berbere is an Ethiopian spice blend that chili pepper and other spices in it. They also have meat dishes cooked in variations of berbere. I also like the chickpeas; they are very mild and a good suggestion for someone knew to Ethiopian cuisine.

Here is our platter of food. Starting from the salad and moving clockwise--green beans, lamb, my favorite lentils, potatoes and carrots, beef in sauce, chickpeas, and in the middle is 2 chicken legs in a rich, spicy sauce. It is all on a large piece of injera. Behind the platter is a place of rolled up injera. They provide all the injera you need, which is nice when you don't have silverware to rely on!

The service here has always been very good, though it can be slow at times. They are very courteous, kind, and have been helpful the times I've had questions. It is located in OKC at NW 23rd and MacArthur in the SE shopping center. The storefront faces MacArthur.

3 comments:

. said...

NOM NOM NOM!!! I want more!!! Thanks for taking me to this awesome place! I can't wait to go back! ^^

Ashley said...

Is this Queen of Sheba in NYC? That's one of my absolute favorite restaurants! I've tried a Ethiopian food in a few cities, and it's always been awesome! People always look at me funny when I tell them that Ethiopian cuisine is so good ;)

Jennifer said...

Ashley--not NYC but Oklahoma City, you know that cultural mecca in the middle of the US. :) There was an Ethiopian restaurant in Dallas named Queen of Sheba that I never made it to.
Most people say, "What, you're going to eat grass?" or, "They eat really eat?"

It is one of my favorites.