"Dukem" Them Out

C Says...

This month's dinner had a twist -- for one, I had a proxy dinner partner. J's lovely and delightful boyfriend, J (I know dear reader, it's confusing). Secondly, we both were trying a type of food neither one of us had had before -- Ethiopian. I have to say I was super excited for this meal. After seven years of living in DC and walking by countless Ethiopian restaurants, I had never mustered the courage to walk in and try it.

Upon entering, I was pleased that for a Tuesday night, there was a good crowd -- including many Ethiopian expats. There was a keyboardist playing lovely background music, and a friendly, if not somewhat cheesy, atmosphere. Apparently, after 10 p.m., Dukem offers live music and dancing.

Since J nor I had ever had Ethiopian food, we asked our friendly waitress what we should try. She recommended the #6 combination platter, which consists of Lamb Wot (freshly made lamb stew that's a bit spicy); Doro Wot (a traditional dish of chicken stew simmered in berbere, red pepper sauce, or, in ginger sauce with garlic and onion); Minchet Abesh (finely chopped lean ground beef braised in milled ginger and garlic sauce); Tibs (tender lamb fried with onion, rosemary jalapeño pepper), and five vegetables (we had corn, tomatoes, onions, and a lentil stew). The entire meal is served with Injera (a surprisingly wonderful spongy bread that makes eating with your hands surprisingly easy and fun).

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this meal for both the quality of the food and the company I shared it with. While some of the dishes are labeled "spicy," I didn't find them overpowering or particularly hot. While some of the items were foreign to me, I tried all of them -- some were misses (the corn), but mainly they were hits. While I don't think Ethiopian will be a "go to" choice for future meals, it's definitely one I will consider and not say "no" to.
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The Other J Says...

As your guest reviewer this month, I was given the opportunity to trek into the city and dine with C at a restaurant of my choosing. This was actually a pretty daunting task seeing as how I live way up in Maryland and do not hear much about the good places to go in DC. I eventually decided on Dukem because it was easy enough to find, neither C nor I had tried Ethiopian food before, and the thought of eating with your hands definitely appealed to my inner child (plus, it came highly recommended from several of my coworkers).

After sitting down and taking a quick glance at the menu (which was small and simple), we informed the server that as first timers we would need help in making our decision. She was very helpful and recommended one of the many combination dinners so we could sample a wide variety of dishes which C and I happily agreed upon. Our food came out fairly quick and we were presented with a large platter of meat, veggies, and cheese.

Now comes the fun part! On the side was the injera bread, which I can only describe as a spongy pita minus the pocket, that we used to pick up the food. Tearing off little pieces of the bread, we dove in. I especially enjoyed the rosemary seasoned lamb with onions and peppers and also the ground beef in a ginger and garlic sauce, as I am a sucker for garlic (and yes, I had to check the website menu to see exactly what was in both). The vegetables were all very fresh as well, particularly the tomatoes and yellow peas. Though I must say that I am not a big fan of cabbage or lentils, so I tended to shy away from those.

One of the things I liked best about the meal was that since we were eating with our hands, it managed to fill me up without cleaning the plate - that might sound odd, though let me explain. If I were eating with proper utensils, I am sure I would have been wolfing down every last bit pretty quickly. But since I felt that I had a bit more work to do, it slowed my eating which made me feel pleasantly full and not overly stuffed. Make sense? However, as both C and I decided we were finished, we noticed that the table sitting next us, who ordered the same thing, had practically licked their plate clean. And our waitress seemed to express concern when she took everything off the table because we didnt do the same thing. Though I must say that I was very pleased.

I now consider myself a fan of Ethiopian fare and I would highly recommend Dukem for anyone who has not tried it before. The service was friendly, the food was tasty and reasonably priced, and before I forget - there is an extensive wine selection!


Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant - 1114 U Street (@ 12th Street) NW, 202.667.8735, www.dukemrestaurant.com

We No Like "Dino"

C Says...

I had heard great things about Dino, which opened a few years ago in Cleveland Park. And while I did enjoy my meal, I'm not sure the restaurant lives up to all the hype. The ambiance in Dino is lovely if not a tad cliché -- burnt orange paint, sconces, "typical" Italian decor. It's a well laid out dining room that is cozy without making you feel like you're dining on top of other people.

For once I decided to order an appetizer, and chose the Tuscan Plate (wild boar prosciutto and salami, crostini Toscano -- chicken liver pate, and pecorino cheese). The plate was delightful and just enough of each item to leave me wanting more, but not so full I couldn't eat my main dish.

For my main course I opted for the Rigatoni al Gorgonzola. Dino offers their pasta dishes either in a half or full serving. I chose the half, and it was more than enough food. The rigatoni is home made and served with a nice gorgonzola, basil and pine nut cream sauce. It was rather light despite the cheese and cream, but didn't lend itself to much flavor other than the lovely taste of gorgonzola.

All in all Dino offers something for everyone, and while I enjoyed my meal, I wasn't blown away. I'll likely return for a visit, but Dino won't necessarily be a "go-to" destination for dining in DC.
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J Says...

I'm not going to lie, this was C's choice and it clearly wasn't my favorite. While I would want to echo everything C has said, I can't because the experience was so unmemorable that I have no idea what I ordered. What I do remember is the decor (tacky), the location (parking-unfriendly), and the service (unattractive and humorless).

Let me put it this way, if gas prices remain low and all the other great (or even decent) restaurants in the city...and Virginia...and Maryland...and Delaware...are booked, then consider Dino. Actually, just order in Dominos...it'd be more reasonably priced and enjoyable. Just telling my truth...


Dino - 3435 Connecticut Avenue NW, 202.686.2966, www.dino-dc.com