Dukem

Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant # 2 1100 Maryland Avenue Baltimore, MD 21201 Tel: 410-385-0318

http://www.dukemrestaurant.com/

If you like to experience great food, Dukem is the place for you!!
I love food, all food, and I have taken plenty of friends to Dukem, from vegetarians to meat lovers and they all have agreed Dukem is a hit. In fact even the most particular eaters have fallen in love with ethiopian food after trying out Dukem.
I will make this as easy as it comes.
Depening on what you like, if you like Spicy food, you are in the right place, they aim to please, as for super hot and you got it.
Also, clean your hands, you eat without utensils so...cleanliness if imperative.
They offer lovely appetizers like sambusa, either vegetarian or with meat. Veggies is filled with lentils and with meat .....with meat....(uh)
You have choices of cold Ethiopian beers, that I must say I have never tried, but I have been told they are a baseball bat to the head (if you know what I mean) or you could order some deliciuos tej, honey wine. The latest tends to soothe your sore tongue if you ordered spicy food.
Now to the food....everything is good...
If you like meat, like myself I order the AWAZE TIBS, wich is pretty much their version of bbq meat.
The spices are to die for, and if you order extra hot, they do not joke around with their jalapeno either.
My partner orders the GORED GORED TIBS, non too spicy.
The girls there are so very nice, they can totally tell if you can handle the heat.
They know my mouth is made of fire, so they give me some tear jerking heat, that nobody at the table can usually take except me.
Everything is usally served with a few veggie accompaniaments here and there. Little salad with totatoes helps with soothing the heat by the way.
Your tool of scooping is called injira, wich is a tortilla (in the one and only sence that is round) yet soft like bread made from some wheat or not....that you cut in a scoop, place it in your fingers and scoop the food with it sorta deal.
Sounds primitive but it works, and the injira gives it a nice flavour. People are usually spooked by the injira until they try it with the food.
The service is always great, I have gotten to know the girls, that usually teach me a word or two of ethipian.
So to you my friend try it and "Letenachi" (wich is cheers, but its meaning is to your health) The ethiopians have it figure out, drinking is good for you, with great food of course.
My overall rating 8.5 - casual and yum yum!