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The newest restaurant to join 9th Streets's growing list of dining options is Queen of Sheba, located at 1503 9th Street, NW.  The restaurant is named for the legendary ruler of an area comprising today’s Ethiopia and Yemen, whose visit to Israel’s King Solomon in biblical times established a relationship between their two lands.  Just as the queen’s visit to Jerusalem to test Solomon’s legendary wisdom bridged two cultures, so does this new restaurant seek to bring together DC’s Ethiopian and American communities with a menu that draws from both countries’ traditions.

In a space that longtime restaurants will recall was once a Chinese restaurant, the proprietors of Queen of Sheba have created a warm, inviting space with pumpkin and ochre walls, cherry wood tabletops, and flat-screen TVs.
 
Rather than locate on the 1900 block of 9th Street, better known as Little Ethiopia, Embzam Misgina, his wife, chef Nigisti, and sister Frewoini chose the 1500 block of 9th Street as the location for their restaurant because they wanted to serve another part of the neighborhood.  Less than three blocks from the Washington Convention Center, and adjacent to the city’s highest grossing Giant Food store, the family is excited to be part of the revitalization of central Shaw.  “We’re so happy to be here,” Mr. Misgina says.  “We want Queen of Sheba to be a place where the community can come and enjoy our native culture, but also relax with old friends as they make new ones.”
 
The restaurant opened in late January 2006, but a formal opening will take place in late February, once exterior signage and artwork inside have been installed.  Sandwiches, pastas, and salads are some of the non-Ethiopian items on the menu.  In addition to beef and lamb dishes, a variety of vegetarian options are available, as members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church abstain from eating meat for over half the year as part of their fasting rituals.  Lentils, chick peas, collard greens, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and cabbage are common ingredients in these vegetarian dishes.
 
For a great introduction to Ethiopian cuisine at Queen of Sheba, try Goden Tibs (beef short ribs sautéed with onions, tomatoes, garlic, and jalapeno), Queen’s Misto (a lamb combination platter featuring Alicha Firfir, curried lamb stew mixed with spices and injera bread; Lamb Key Wot, spicy lamb stewed in a berbere chili/spice sauce;  and Yebeg Alicha Wot, curried lamb stewed made with special spices), or a Vegetarian Combination (samples of four items from the meat-free portion of the menu, including Alicha Kik, yellow split peas cooked with onions and garlic sauce and flavored with turmeric and ginger; Timatim and Peanut Butter Firfir, fine chopped tomatoes, red onions, and jalapeno mixed with injera pieces; and Atkilt, a vegetable stew made with carrots, potatoes, cabbage, red peppers, and onions).
 
But don’t miss the triangular sambusa fritters, filled with lentils, spinach, or meat, or the Sheba Burger, made with choice ground beef, seasoned with Ethiopian spices and grilled to order.
 
Coffee is said to have first been cultivated in Ethiopia, and it is that country’s primary export, so be sure to try Queen of Sheba’s preparation, sweetened with honey.
 
Queen of Sheba’s menu provides descriptions of the main ingredients in each dish.  So get ready to tear off a piece of injera (spongy sourdough flat bread) and scoop up some Misir Alicha (a mild lentil stew with onions, ginger, and berbere sauce), Doro Wat (thick chicken stew), Gored Gored (cubed beef marinated with spices and butter), or if you’re more adventurous, go for the Kitfo (raw or rare ground beef marinated with spices and butter).
 
Queen of Sheba Restaurant is open Monday through Thursday and Sunday, 10:00 AM to 12:00 AM, and Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 AM.  For more information, call 202-232-7788.