Café Abyssinia opened in the early part of November at 3511 Magazine St., though the only evidence from the street is a large sign bearing the colors of the Ethiopian flag between Garden District Shoe Repair and a little soul food/snowball shop. The restaurant is set 30 or so yards from the street and housed in a small space that is clearly a repurposed apartment.
The walls have been painted with murals depicting Ethiopia, and the music of that country plays on a small stereo system set up in the apartment’s former kitchen. The basis of Ethiopian cuisine, literally, is injera. It’s a crepe-like bread typically made from a grain called teff. It’s spongy and slightly tart like a good sourdough loaf, and in Ethiopia, food is often served on a platter layered with injera. Diners tear pieces of the bread off to scoop up morsels of food.
Some years ago I was fortunate to be invited to the wedding of my friends Paul and Azeb. Azeb is originally from Eritrea, a nation to the north of Ethiopia that shares much of its neighbor’s cuisine. Many of Azeb’s relatives, including her mother, came to New Orleans from Eritrea in advance of the wedding, and they spent days preparing the food served at the reception. More on the review
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