Rocky Mountain News
Axum a refreshing oasis of good taste
- By
John Lehndorff
''Maybe the reason we felt so giddy after dining at Axum Ethiopian Restaurant is that we got to play with our food all night. Our inner children were amused by the absence of eating utensils and dinner plates. Maybe it was the adventure of tasting fare that was refreshingly exotic and relentlessly flavorful.
For the uninitiated, Ethiopian restaurant dining requires a primer. The literal foundation of every Ethiopian meal is injera bread. The diverse meat and vegetable preparations you choose are served together atop a big round platter lined with the thin, soft, spongey, bubbly, and pliable injera, a panfried cross between a flatbread and a thick crepe. At Axum, lots of additional rolled-up round breads are served throughout the meal. Injera has a slight tartness and sourdough rye aroma...
All of my dinner guests -- including an inveterate foodie and classically trained chef -- were amazed and gratified by the sophisticated aromas and tastes and the good-humored graciousness of the waiters as we bombarded them with questions. We were pleased to see tables packed with families, friends and members of Denver's large Ethiopian population. For them as well as us, Axum is a refreshing oasis of good taste and community on East Colfax Avenue. " >>more
AOL CityGuide
--by Lori Midson
A magnet for homesick Ethiopians, this no-frills restaurant, rich with the owner's warmth and congeniality, does its best to cater to its homeland eats, while gently introducing shy first- timers to the art of noshing sans utensils. If you don't like to play with your food, or you have an aversion to messy hands, you're in for a shock. Huge platters of food arrive, mostly stews of some sort, along with injera, saucer-sized pads of spongy, sour bread used for mopping up the mouthfuls of liberally spiced dishes. Eating Ethiopian shouldn't be a solo event. It's best to bring a large group of adventurists and starry- eyed lovers who dig the prospect of licking each other's fingers. If that doesn't appeal to your senses, imbibing a few of the oversized bottles of Mamba, a light African beer, will undoubtedly lighten you up. >>more
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