Steve N.
Yelp
I've been driving by Habesha for about a month now, waiting for a chance to get it and check it out. Finally everything lined up and I was able to do so.
Habesha is located in a little strip of stores sandwiched between Penn Station and Custom-PC. The plain exterior hides a warmly decorated interior, and as you open the door the scents wrap themselves around your nostrils and pull you in. On this night I was one of the few people in there, and I was promptly greeted and seated at one of the dozen tables. The tables are all 4-tops, and they can be easily moved to accommodate larger groups.
As a looked over the menu, the owner appeared beside me and asked if I had any questions. I told him this was my first time at this type of restaurant, and asked about the menu items. I said I would like to try the kitfo, which according to the menu is "Minced meat seasoned with herbed butter and hot red pepper (mitmita) served with special seasoned cheese. He said that I might not like that because of the spices and said I should try the awaze tibs, which is "Spiced cubes of selected lean beef sauteed with onions, garlic, green pepper, and awaze, a specially spiced red pepper". Being he's the expert I went with his suggestion, and he said he'd bring me a small side of the kitfo to sample.
My meal arrived quickly, served on a large piece of injera, the spongy, slightly sour-tasting traditional Ethiopian bread, along with a small salad and a basket of smaller pieces of injera. The waitress told me that I was to use the injera to scoop the food, there are no forks. I tore a piece of injera off and dug in to the awaze tibs.
Flavor explosion!
It was very good! A little garlicky, a little spicy heat, a bite from the onion, and the beef very tender. Fantastic blending of flavor. I took a scoop of the kitfo next and bam! Even better than the the awaze tib, a stronger heat but not overwhelming and nice smoothness from the butter. The cheese (ayib) was very soft with a mild flavor, something like a ricotta, and it went well with both dishes. The salad was dressed with a light oil and added a nice contrast to the spice of the meats.
I was not able to finish all of this, the portions are fairly large and the injera filling. I had water to drink as I wanted to enjoy the flavor of the food, but next time I go back I am going to try the ginger tea. And definitely the coffee, since coffee was born in Ethiopia.
I hope this little place does well. Finding something other than chili or burgers on the west side is rare. I encourage you to try it and spread the word.