Most people aren't very adventurous when it comes to food. That's why we call it food porn a lot of times, as we end up depicting our consumption of food where either the food or the location is almost out of bounds for the average person. For all of his hilarious discussion about the subject, it's almost ironic that Anthony Bourdain's show No Reservations represents what some would argue is the pinnacle of food and travel pornography.
I bring this up because most people I know are very monogamous when it comes to where they eat. Once they find a place that consistently delivers what they feel is an acceptable product, they keep eating there. I used to do the same thing. Find a place that makes good fajitas, keep going there. Want fajitas, go to designated fajita place. Nevermind that there are 20 more places in town that make fajitas, or that odds are one of those is probably better. Why risk it? This place is good enough for me. I tried one of those other places and it wasn't as good. And that place that everyone says is the best in town looks dirty and is in a neighborhood where the people don't look like me. Can't we just go to Chili's? Please?
Over the years I've become a lot more disloyal to the restaurants I eat at and a lot more promiscuous when it comes to picking places to eat. This is harder than it sounds as I try to keep myself out of chain restaurants, which means I'm not cheating on a corporation but a person or family. The places I frequent, the owners know us. We hang out when I come to eat. I know about how their restaurant is doing in this crap economy, they know what I want and how I like it served. They comp me things all the time. A new ingredient comes in, I get to try it first. We call it the "inner circle" treatment. It sounds like Alice Waters' idea of the neighborhood restaurant, and in a lot of ways it is.
Part of this is friendship, but it's really about customer service and retention. They know I'll be back, if not out of friendship or loyalty, but because I get the VIP treatment. And that's the beauty of a small family owned restaurant: every repeat customer gets the VIP treatment. Almost every person that works there has a vested interest in your continued business and will do everything in their power to keep it.
Of course, we always go try new places, but I feel a twinge of guilt each time I do it. Especially in this economy, where now FIVE of my favorite restaurants have gone under. Maybe if I had just eaten there more, they would still be around. Maybe if I had written more about them, maybe I could have driven more business there--enough to keep them afloat. Maybe maybe maybe.
Congratulations if you read this far. I'm actually going to start talking about what I ate now. The above ranting will become relevant in a few pictures.
We were so hungry after we left our place that we ducked into Sonic.
This is Jody pouting because she's waiting for me to take a picture of her chicken toasted bread bacon sandwich concoction. I forget what the real name is. It's really good!
This is my meal. Half of Jody's tater tots and a corn dog.
And of course supersized Sonic drinks. Half off all drinks during their happy hour from 2-4. Nothing beats a 44 ounce iced tea for 95 cents. We almost stopped coming to Sonic altogether a few months ago when we arrived at 3:55 with one couple in line ahead of us. It took those space cadets TEN MINUTES to order two drinks and a burger (note to readers: if I encounter you out in the wild taking more than 10 minutes to order ANYTHING or attempting to pay with a check, I will ridicule you on this blog, that is a promise). When we got to the counter, we were denied happy hour drink pricing. We tried to protest, but the yokel behind the counter just waved us off. Remember what I said earlier about people with a vested interest? Yeah. Not at Sonic.
With the immediate hunger problem solved, we headed on to do some shopping. For dinner we went to Queen Sheba's in downtown Sacramento to pick up Ethiopian food.
I felt guilty eating here.
For years we have been going to the other Ethiopian place in town called Addis Ababa. It's a small family operation and we know the owners. Every time we've eaten there food has been excellent. The place is almost always empty or nearly so when we are there. I eat there when I can. Queen Sheba has been here the entire time, and I've never gone. I've been able to justify avoiding it for this long because it comes highly recommended by an individual that has the palate of a dung beetle.
They apparently have a great lunch buffet. I'm never in this area around lunchtime so I wouldn't know whether the reviews are true. One of you down there go for me, will ya?
Much fun decor inside. They must have thought I was nuts walking around snappng pictures while they finished getting my take out ready!
Here's our take out. Ethiopian food is served on a porous flatbread called injera. The injera is also your eating utensil. In a traditional meal, once the bottom injera is finished, the meal is done. The food comes packed with an additional injera on top.
Now you'll have to forgive me for the fact that the food in these boxes doesn't look very luscious. Had I eaten there they would have presented it very nicely on a large round injera. Instead they had to cram it in a box for me. Also, most Ethiopian food is eaten with and by a piece of injera, so their cuisine tends towards stews and other loose foods that don't photograph very well.
This is Actual's vegetarian platter. Clockwise from the top left, she has yellow split peas stewed in tumeric and some other stuff, stewed cabbage and potatoes, chopped collard greens and spicy lentils. I could try to describe how good this stuff tastes but unless you've had Ethiopian food it just won't make any sense. You'll just have to trust me until you go get some of your own.
My first box was gored gored. Basically raw beef cubes in a spicy sauce. Cringe if you want, but this was the best thing I've put in my mouth since the foie gras sushi I had back in November. The texture of the raw beef combined with a sauce that I swear has 8 layers of flavor. Freaking amazing. If you get to an Ethiopian restaurant, try a plate. Served with homemade Ethiopian cheese (this stuff is like crack, Jody gets an extra order every time) and some extra sauce in case it wasn't spicy enough.
My next box and more raw beef. This is kitfo, which one could loosely describe as Ethiopian steak tartare. It's raw beef that's chopped, but the similarities end there. The beef is mixed with a butter and spice mixture. This stuff is more fiery than the gored gored. And believe it or not, it feels silky in your mouth.
And if you're wondering, yes, this place is better than the other place I've been eating at all these years.
Check out their website for a much better explanation of how Ethiopian cuisine works.
Queen Sheba Restaurant
1704 Broadway
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 446-1223
www.queenshebas.com
