horn of africa
01 Oct 2005Okay, so, we finally got around to going to Horn of Africa last weekend, and again tonight. After two visits, I am in love. (Actually, I was in love after the first visit.)
I had always wanted to check out Addis Ababa, which was Gizachew Tesfaye’s first restaurant. It came highly recommended, but somehow we never got around to going. Horn of Africa is his new place over on E. Thompson Ln and murfreesboro in the Crescent Plaza.
The first time we went was with a group of four, and we got a massive sampler platter, which is a great introduction to the flavor and variety of ethiopian food. This time, I got the house special Kitfo, which is basically raw ground beef with a chile powder mixture and niter kebbeh. Amanda got some sort of wat (a stew) and Becca got the house special tibs. But regardless of who gets what, the serving style makes it a pretty communal affair. They present and dish out all the food on a central platter lined with injera, and you use the injera to grab at all the goodies on the platter.
The kitfo in particular is a new favorite of mine – something I will definitely be having next time. The food is astounding, the staff is friendly, and it’s just an all-around great place. Do yourself a favor and patronize this fine establishment.
It can be tricky to find, though – it’s really a hole in the wall in an otherwise unremarkable strip of shops (although there’s a Vietnamese place I am temptaed to try). Amanda and I talked about how we were torn between thinking that they could do really well if they had a location more accessible to the yuppies of Nashville who would simply eat up (pun intended) a place like this, and hoping that they stay where they are so that there’s a rather secluded liittle place we can go to to get kickass food without it being too crowded.