Restaurant File: Fasika and Flamingo

On my mom and step-dad's first date they went out for Ethiopian food. Those who have experience eating Ethiopian cuisine may know that most is eaten with your hands, perfect for a first date, right? And when I was younger my family was invited to my Aunt Mary's every New Year's Day to celebrate Kwanzaa. We were always treated to homemade Ethiopian treats. Ethiopian food often consists of spicy vegetable and meat dishes call wat (or wot), it has the consistency of a stew that has been simmering for hours. Potatoes, cabbage, carrots, lentils, beef, lamb, chicken and fish are all used to make different varieties of wat. The wat is served on a flat bread called injera, which has a slight sour taste with a spongy texture (the description sounds gross but trust me it is delicious!). Injera often comes on the side to use as a utensil to eat your wat. Berbere, a mixture of white pepper, black pepper, fenugreek, garlic, chili pepper and salt, is used to spice many of the dishes.
My quest the last couple of years has been to find the best places to eat Ethiopian cuisine in the Twin Cities, and I believe I have found it. The first is the restaurant Fasika located in St. Paul on University and Snelling. Just walking into Fasika you senses are over-whelmed with the smells, sights and sounds of Ethiopia. For a first timer I would recommend the Vege-Sampler, you are able to try all of the different vegetable dishes. Anyone of the chicken dishes are a good choice though I prefer the lamb dishes but I realize that many people would probably choose chicken over lamb.
The second restaurant is Flamingo, also is St. Paul it is located on University and Syndicate. It is directly behind on SubWay so it can be easy to miss. I have only been to Flamingo once, but enjoyed it immensely. Flamingo is owned by two women and merge together the cuisine of both Ethiopia and Eritrea. When I asked where the name Flamingo came from I was told that the Flamingo is native to Ethiopia, learn something new everyday! My mom and I ended up splitting the Vege-Sampler (which included an amazing wat made with mushrooms!) and one of the chicken dishes. Both were delicious. The table next to us ordered a dish that came out sizzling like a plate of fajitas, it smelled amazing. Also, I recommend ordering the strawberry lemonade, it is freshly made and the tart taste helps mellow up the spice of the dishes.
There are plenty of other Ethiopian restaurants throughout the Twin Cities that have great Ethiopian cuisine, the two listed above just happen to be my favorite.

Fasika: 510 N Snelling Ave, St. Paul MN
Flamingo: 490 N Syndicate Street, St Paul MN