BEST ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT

Blue Nile Café

Venue

Blue Nile Cafe

933 E. University Dr., #112

(Rural Rd. and University Dr.)
Tempe, AZ

480-377-1113

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Ethiopian dishes may not be household words yet — zegeney, anyone? — but no matter. All you need to know is that the food at Blue Nile Café is as homey and satisfying as any meat-and-potatoes meal, with way better seasonings. And thanks to moist injera (a kind of thin, spongy sourdough bread), you don't even need to eat with utensils. The above-mentioned beef dish is cooked with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and ginger, while tender yedor watt, a chicken entree, dazzles with spicy berbere sauce. Hearty vegetarian dishes get the same slow-simmered treatment, and appetizers are just as intriguing; we're partial to the kay seer salad (a tangy mix of beets, potatoes, chilies and lime juice) and the addicting, deep-fried sambussas (crisp golden pockets of meat or vegetables). If you can, snag a table in the back room, where colorful woven basket-tables add to the authentic experience. Blue Nile Café has style and substance — and did we mention it's cheap?

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    2008-11-21 12:07:10
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