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 "Without the freedom to criticize, there is no worthy praise." Beaumarchais | ||
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Design District ** By Simone Zarmati Diament A pioneer of the Design District, since 2005, Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant, is somehow still on the edge. The handsomely spacious 205-seat restaurant decorated with gorgeous woven baskets with ochre walls hung with Ethiopian and African art, and well-spaced white tablecloth tables, is still somehow of a hidden treasure. Not that the bar is idle... On any given Happy Hour you will see people of all ages and professions, from art gallery owners and yuppies to bankers and the artists themselves, sipping cold beer or a glass of wine, listening to live music on the weekends, and enjoying the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the only Ethiopian restaurant in Miami. Why Ethiopian? I asked the Nigerian born owner and manager,, Orhue Guobadia... Simply because no other country in Africa produces such a varied and fine cuisine with a wide array of spices and fresh herbs! Of the 80-something Ethiopians living in Miami, a few are in the kitchen at Sheba preparing the elaborate sauces in which meats, seafood, chicken and vegetables are cooked. But first, they must make the basic Ethiopian staples like Bereber, a blend of a couple of dozen spices that’s essential to many Ethiopian dishes like the wat (or stews), or nit’r qibe the fragrant clarified butter enriched with spices used in many dishes, or Injera, the spongy sourdough flatbread made from the fermented batter of tef, a grain imported from Ethiopia mixed with yeast and wheat, and cooked on a griddle which is used both to line the serving platters and scoop up the food. Tear off a piece and scoop up the tangy and fragrant foods, starting with appetizers ($7 to $13 at dinner) from different African cuisines, and particularly from Morocco, like Kefta, or meatballs cooked in onions and spices, D’jaj bi Zitoune – chicken tenderloins sautéed with green olives - or the fabulous Shrimp M’Charmel sautéed in olive oil and fresh herbs. For first timers, I recommend the mixed platters ($28 to $60). Great for sharing and big enough for two or three people, these splendid platters lined with injera are piled up with different combinations - pick and choose - of lamb, chicken and beef, fish and seafood dishes accompanied by fragrant vegetarian options which enables you to try just about everything. I also recommend to those unused to scoop their food with their bread, to keep the fork on their table setting. It's hard to get the staff to bring you a fork… As for the wine, a spicy red like an Argentine Malbec or a South African Meritage pairs divinely with what’s on the menu. The Wats or stews are all slowly simmered in mild yet hearty sauces seasoned with bereber, garlic, onion, fresh ginger and herbs. Succulent and tender chunks of lamb, beef or chicken and delicate seafood such as South African haddock (Assa wat) and the spectacular Australian warm water Lobster, are coated with elating sauces. And so are lentils - Misr wat a lentil stew flavored with clarified butter, berebere and tomato – split peas and ginger and onion infused fresh vegetables – e.e. collard greens and tomatoes, fava beans, carrots and the sweetest and most luscious potatoes and cabbage cooked with onion, garlic and mild spices I’ve had in a long time. Then there are the Tibs, a different kind of stew cooked in white wine and herb reduction, and the Alecha seasoned with ginger, rosemary, jalapeño pepper and an Ethiopian herb reduction. Desserts are the usual suspects, but good: Dark Chocolate Gateau; Bourbon Pecan Tart, Mango-Guava Cheesecake, and sorbets. To end up the meal without the calories, there’s an unusually aromatic Ethiopian tea with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. With brother and sister Ogbe and Orhue Guobadia at the helm, and a score of Ethiopian cooks in the kitchen, Sheba offers fun, exotic and satisfying fare worth several other visits, including one to the adjacent "Esohe's Gift Shop" an African art and gift gallery. |
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