Empress Taytu Ethiopian Restaurant

              Ethiopian food and service is as unique as is the country itself.  The traditions here are authentic, and all around you are the scenery, the music, aromas, food, art, history and culture of this ancient civilization.

              Traditional basket tables (MESOBS) are in the huts, to fully experience Ethiopian communal dining.  Knives and forks are absent as you pick at the food with pieces of INJERA the T’EFF-GRAIN flat bread that will hold the various spiced meat and vegetable presentations known as WATS.   Foremost is DOROWAT chicken breast in onion-sweet, spicy barbecue-like sauce which has no tomato.  Instead it has a sophisticated spice combination known as BERBERE: hot red peppers, ginger, rue seed, sacred basil, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bishop’s weed are among other spices individually prepared and grounded together in the exotic blend.  A particular favorite is T’IBS, small chunks of beef, lamb, chicken or shrimp sautéed in onion, rosemary and spiced butter.  KITFO and GORED-GORED, other favorites among Ethiopians, consist of raw beef mixed with BERBERE sauce.

              Vegetable dishes are also varied and exotically spiced, reflecting that Ethiopian Orthodox Christians are vegetarians for up to 200 fasting days per year.

              Combination platters have been structured to give a broad spectrum of the variable food varieties.  Desserts are limited, as sweets are not part of the culture.  Hence, ice cream is known as “Missionary’s Delight.”

              Tea (SHAI) and coffee (BUNA), however, are part of the culture.  The spiced-tea water hardly needs tea leaves, and coffee is very special – coffee originated in an Ethiopian province known as KEFA.  The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is a special event – an elegant, leisurely, after-dinner social occasion with religious overtones and roots antedating Christianity itself.  The ceremony is offered here as a gift of the ages from the land of 13 months of sunshine, Ethiopia.

 We thank you.

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Appetizer, Soup and Salad

1.      SAMBUSA Crisp pastry triangles filled with lentils or beef, spiced with onion, garlic, ginger and coriander.  A) Lentil $3.50 B) Beef $4.00

2.      AMBASHA Traditional skillet baked bread served with your choice of: A) Ayib (home made cottage cheese flavored with Mitmita and spiced butter $4.50; or B) Collard Greens prepared with onion, garlic, ginger and spiced butter $4.00

3.      SHORBA (Soup) Ethiopian Lentil-Onion soup, a flavorful treat. A) Cup $3.00 or B) Bowl $4.00

4.      FOULE Hearty chili-like broad beans, smashed and spiced, then garnished with fresh diced tomatoes, green peppers and onions.  Served hot with a dollop of yogurt and fresh AMBASHA bread.  A delicious meal in itself, with choice of olive oil or butter.  Mild, with hot Mitmita powder available upon request.  $8.00

5.      HOUSE SALAD Spring mix garden salad with a colorful variety of crisp, fresh vegetables.  Served with the house vinaigrette dressing. $6.00

6.      TOMATO SALAD Fresh red tomatoes mixed with chopped onions and jalapenos.   Served with the house vinaigrette dressing. $5.50

7.      YETESENEGA KARYA Seasonal hot pepper split and stuffed with jalapenos, tomatoes, onions and KOTCHKOTCHA (hot pepper and spice sauce).  Pepper with peppers and peppers! $2.25 a piece.

Combination Dinners 

8.      VEGETABLE COMBINATION A combination of four vegetable dishes; KIK ALICHA, MISIR, GOMEN and TIKIL GOMEN. $11.00 per person

9.      MEAT COMBINATION a combination of four meat stews: DOROWAT, SEGAWAT, MINCHETABISH AND YEBUG-ALICHA. $13.50 per person

10. MEAT AND VEGETABLE COMBINATION A combination of four (4) meat dishes: DOROWAT, SEGAWAT, MINCHETABISH and YEBUG-ALICHA, and three (3) vegetable dishes: KIK-ALICHA, MISIR and TIKIL GOMEN. $15.00 per person

Vegetarian Dishes 

11. MISIR Split red lentils cooked in berbere sauce and fine herbs then blended with finely chopped onions. Medium. $9.00

12. TIKIL GOMEN Lightly spiced vegetable stew of cabbage, carrots and potatoes. Mild. $8.50

13. SHIRO Mixed legumes prepared with ginger root, rue seed, bishops weed and garlic before being cooked with berbere sauce. Medium. $11.00

14. KIK-ALICHA Yellow split peas flavored with turmeric, green peppers and various spices. Mild. $8.50

15. GOMEN Chopped collard greens cooked with onions, garlic and ginger then lightly laced with jalapenos. Mild. $9.00

Beef, Chicken, Lamb and Shrimp Dishes 

16. MINCHETABISH Savory chopped top ground beef cooked with a tasty combination of seasonings and spices. Mild. $10.00

17. SEGAWAT Tender beef cubes stewed with Berbere sauce then flavored with onions, garlic and ginger root. Spicy. $13.50

18. FER-FER Pieces of INJERA (traditional Ethiopian bread) soaked in SEGAWAT. Medium. $8.50

19. YEBUG-ALICHA Tender lamb pieces cooked in spiced butter, onions, green peppers, garlic, ginger root and turmeric. Mild. $14.00

20. TIBS Lean beef cubes sautéed in spiced butter with green peppers, onions and rosemary. Specify Hot to Mild. $14.50

21. DOROWAT (House Specialty) Premier Ethiopian ceremonial dish.  A piece of chicken (doro) breast and drumstick marinated in lemon, sautéed in spiced butter, stewed in Berbere sauce with onions, garlic and ginger root, served with a hardboiled egg with home made cottage cheese and  GOMEN (collard greens). Spicy. $15.50

22. CHICKEN TIBS Cubes of chicken breast sautéed in spiced butter with green peppers, onions and rosemary. Specify Hot to Mild. $14.50

23. SHRIMP TIBS Shrimp sautéed in spiced butter with green peppers, onions and rosemary. Specify Hot to Mild. $15.50

House Specialty Dishes 

24. KITFO an Ethiopian favorite, diced fresh lean beef spiced with AWAZE (hot) sauce, jalapeno peppers and served with home made cottage cheese. NOTE: SERVED RAW OR SLIGHTLY COOKED (leb-leb) Specify Hot to Mild. $15.00

25. GORED-GORED Cubes of fresh lean beef spiced with AWAZE (hot) sauce, jalapeno peppers and served with home made cottage cheese. NOTE: SERVED RAW OR SLIGHTLY COOKED (leb-leb) Specify Hot to Mild. $15.00

26. TAYTU’S SPECIAL SEGA TIBS Choice cubes of fresh lean beef fried with spiced butter, onions and rosemary then served still cooking in a traditional clay charcoal grill with TOMATO SALAD and YETESENEGA KARYA. Specify Hot to Mild. $22.00 Double order add $15.00

27. TAYTU’S SPECIAL YEBUG TIBS Choice cubes of fresh lamb fried with spiced butter, onions and rosemary then served still cooking in a traditional clay charcoal grill with TOMATO SALAD and YETESENEGA KARYA. Specify Hot to Mild. $22.00 Double order add $15.00

28. MISSIONARY’S DELIGHT Vanilla ice cream served plain or with choice of chocolate sauce or mango juice. $4.00

29. ETHIOPIAN BUNA (COFFEE) CEREMONY a special after dinner treat.  This leisurely ceremony starts with the roasting of green coffee beans in the kitchen.  The smoking pan of aromatic beans is brought to your table.  The coffee is served from a JABENA (clay coffee pot), poured into small traditional cups with fresh AMBASHA and incense burning. $16.00

| Food | Menu | Hours | About us | Links |

| Food | Menu | Hours | About us | Links |