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Selam Ethiopian Kitchen - the crown jewel of East African

Selam Ethiopian Kitchen - the crown jewel of East African
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  • Selam Ethiopian Kitchen - the crown jewel of East African

    Post #1 - June 9th, 2017, 9:28 pm
    Post #1 - June 9th, 2017, 9:28 pm Post #1 - June 9th, 2017, 9:28 pm
    LTH:

    Let me tell you; let me tell you. I had the best East African meal, ever, at Selam this evening. In fact, I had the best meal of 2017 at Selam this evening. Yerusalem (sp?), the charming server explained that their Injera was made with high-teff content natural rise batter. She gave me samples of the Ethiopian beef jerky, Quinta/Qawanta, from the meat market/bakery/sundry adjacent. It was a crispy dry, popping with flavor and tiny fat pockets. The best dried meat I've ever had.

    Dinner was kitfo (raw) served with mitmita, and two types of fresh cheeses, one white, one spiced. I've not had better raw beef. Anywhere.

    Sitting at the bar, two St. George beers, pleasant conversation with the server about the wonders of Addis Ababa, Ethiopian food and Chicago, and the Cavaliers winning on the big screen with a crowd of Ethiopian dudes cheering on, it was pretty cool, man.

    It was Friday night and there were not nearly enough people there. Go. Now.

    Selam Ethiopian Kitchen
    4543 N Broadway St
    Chicago, IL 60640
    (773) 271-4300
    selamkitchen.com
    "By the fig, the olive..." Surat Al-Teen, Mecca 95:1"
  • Post #2 - June 10th, 2017, 5:28 am
    Post #2 - June 10th, 2017, 5:28 am Post #2 - June 10th, 2017, 5:28 am
    Sula really loved it, too.

    at the Reader's website, Mike Sula wrote:In response to years of encouragement from customers, the Abebes closed their butcher shop, then reopened it along with a restaurant and bar earlier this year. Selam Ethiopian Kitchen (originally Selam Market and Kitchen) certainly doesn't call attention to itself. When I first encountered it, just before it opened, I saw bags of teff flour stacked in the brightly lit window and assumed it was just a dedicated injera bakery—but it's much more than that.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #3 - June 10th, 2017, 8:46 am
    Post #3 - June 10th, 2017, 8:46 am Post #3 - June 10th, 2017, 8:46 am
    Received delivery of doro wot and a vegan platter from Selam. Flavors on point!
  • Post #4 - June 12th, 2017, 1:23 pm
    Post #4 - June 12th, 2017, 1:23 pm Post #4 - June 12th, 2017, 1:23 pm
    I had a great dinner here last night. Goden Tibs were rare, smoky, and spicy -- Like an Ethiopian version of Kenyan nyama choma. Kitfo was excellent, and the staff are fantastic. We ended the evening late, with good coffee and yet more drinks.
  • Post #5 - June 12th, 2017, 1:55 pm
    Post #5 - June 12th, 2017, 1:55 pm Post #5 - June 12th, 2017, 1:55 pm
    top of my list
  • Post #6 - June 12th, 2017, 7:00 pm
    Post #6 - June 12th, 2017, 7:00 pm Post #6 - June 12th, 2017, 7:00 pm
    joshuacraze wrote:I had a great dinner here last night. Goden Tibs were rare, smoky, and spicy -- Like an Ethiopian version of Kenyan nyama choma. Kitfo was excellent, and the staff are fantastic. We ended the evening late, with good coffee and yet more drinks.

    Hi,

    I saw your food and had instant order envy.

    I wanted the Kitfo, though I went with the meat sampler to please my friend. I was prepared to order more, then changed my mind. I was very tired and really wanted some sleep. Lingering for more food wasn't in the cards.

    We did share a baklava, which was dripping in a honey syrup. I happen not to favor this style, I like it drier, though my friend enjoyed it.

    I am also not quite certain about how to order here. At Tesfa around the block, I have ordered a meat and a vegetable. When the tray arrived, there were other unexpected items in the mix. I liked this arrangement, because I didn't have to feel my way for a complete meal.

    What this place desperately needs is exterior signage. I roughly knew the address, then supposed I would recognize the name as I drove by. Even if does have signage, the young bushy tree in front will likely block it. The naked butcher case with a reserved table in front did not exactly suggest open for business. I was wondering if this was all there was to this place. Once you walk past the entrance, there is a dark, moody restaurant and bar in the rear.

    My friend is long time in the food industry kept remarking how clean this restaurant was.

    For a first visit, it was pleasant, though I wished I had ordered what you did.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #7 - June 15th, 2017, 11:34 am
    Post #7 - June 15th, 2017, 11:34 am Post #7 - June 15th, 2017, 11:34 am
    The owner is quite talkative, and used to work as the cook at the American embassy in Khartoum, and has a wealth of stories. I probably prefer the kitfo at Tesfa, as long as the owner is in the kitchen (otherwise it loses a bit of quality), but Selam wins as a place to talk and drink and eat good rare meat. I haven't had the tire siga yet, but I rarely see it in America, so it is next on my list.

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