WHAT: Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant & Bar
WHERE: 6120 N. Broadway St.
OUR RATING: Do it!
Chicago has a huge amount to offer in terms of more exotic cuisines, so much so, in fact, it is often easy for one to try a cuisine at a sub-par restaurant and have your opinion of that region’s delicacy tainted. Don’t let this happen to you and try only the best!
(Photo courtesy of chicagogluttons.com)
Ethiopian Diamond, luckily, is well above sub-par, and is perhaps Chicago’s finest food from the Horn of Africa. We say this as people who have tried the other Ethiopian restaurants in town, to find none better in character and flavor than the Diamond. Perhaps you would not think of African as your first cuisine of choice, but we can assure you that this up-and-coming region has unknown delights that any true cosmopolitan should make it their duty to try. From the tinny, but welcome buzz of traditional music, to the giant oil murals paintings adorning the walls, depicting the great sites of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Diamond creates an atmosphere of foreign exploration.
Injera
One of the most unique aspects about Ethiopian Diamond is the ritual of communal eating. Although you may order individual entrees, all entrees are served on the same platter atop injera, a pancake-like bread made of wheat and teff flour. Diners are also served individual pieces of injera, from which smaller pieces are broken off to serve as utensils for the many foods. Injera from Ethiopian Diamond is a little more light and lemony compared to some other Ethiopian restaurants we have been to, and we love it.
Sambusas (ethiopiandiamond.com)
Ethiopian Diamond has an enormously extensive menu, with a wide variety of vegetarian, beef, chicken, lamb and seafood entrees, most in the form of watt, a stew. Dishes range from mild to pretty spicy. They also serve sambusas for appetizers, which are quite comparable to samosas, with a thin dough shell surrounding vegetables or minced meats. The dough of sambusas, when compared to samosas, is, however, much thinner.
Although we have frequented Ethiopian Diamond several times, on our latest visit a group of five of us ordered five unique vegetarian dishes. We ordered the Yemisir Watt (red lentils with onions in a spicy sauce), the Kik Alicha (split peas in a more mild sauce with onion, garlic and ginger), Gomen (chopped collard greens in a mild sauce with onions and garlic), Quosta (chopped spinach in a sauce with onions and garlic), and Tikel Gomen (cabbage and carrots cooked in a mild sauce).
When our platter arrived, we discovered that our dishes were also lovingly accompanied with a small portion of Yatkilt Watt (string beans, carrots and potatoes in a mild sauce of onions, garlic and ginger), Dinich Alicha (potatoes and carrots in a mild sauce of onions, garlic and ginger), and the usual light salad of romaine lettuce, onions and tomatoes in the center of the platter.
Starting at top left: Tikel Gomen, Quosta, Dinich Alicha, Yemisir Watt, Kik Alicha, Yatkilt Watt, Gomen (also, salad at center)
Our party was more than happy to dig in, with service having taken a little longer than we have experienced in the past. Table favorites included the Tikel Gomen and the Quosta, with the Gomen coming in last (but delicious nonetheless). A word to the wise – when consuming this delicious (and GIANT) platter, make sure to save a little room for the injera separating the serving platter from the stews. The juices from the stews permeate the bread making every last bite more and more succulent.
While a fantastic experience in all, some individual policies of Ethiopian Diamond might rub diners the wrong way. Although entrees are large, sharing when each individual has not ordered an entree incurs a $5.00 fee, which seems slightly antithetical to the stated aim in the menu where it is claimed that sharing should be encouraged to foster “bonds of loyalty and friendship”. This policy leads to the ordering of plenty of food and the definite need to box-up the leftovers. In essence, you get to keep enjoying the food long after you’re finished at the restaurant, but we personally don’t like being charged artificial fees that control our dining choices. Additionally, like many restaurants, a $5.00 corkage fee is added to each bottle of BYOB, which is clearly meant to encourage patrons to purchase the wide variety of excellent wines and beers on offer. However, such a fee rings out as unnecessary small print to a customer. If you are at a restaurant, the last thing you want to think about are rules and regulations. Wait staff are friendly and cordial, however, offering frequent refills on water and bread.
Honey Wine (ethiopiandiamond.com)
We were much too full, but the restaurant also serves a variety of desserts, honey wine, and really legitimate Ethiopian tea and coffee. They also serve a special $15 lunch menu from 11am-3pm every day, which includes an entree and coffee or tea. If you make a trip to their second location in Rogers Park (Ethiopian Diamond II at 7537 N. Clark St) on a Sunday, you can also dig into their all-you-can-eat buffet. We’ve never done this, and aren’t quite sure it’d be the same communal-eating experience, but who knows?
If you want to sample all of these delicacies in one trip, however, you may need to fast for a few days beforehand and you better make sure to bring lots and lots of friends!
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