Courier-Journal
Queen of Sheba reigns with misir wot
- by Susan Reigler
'' Seekers of underrepresented cuisines on our local dining scene should venture south on Bardstown Road past the Watterson Expressway to enjoy the Ethiopian flavors at the Queen of Sheba in the Airport Inn.
If you are new to the subtle spices and stretchy flatbread of East African cooking, a very good introduction is the lunch buffet, served Sunday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A variety of wots (savory stews) and other dishes can be sampled for $6.49. That's how I discovered this week's Dish, the misir wot, a flavorful lentil stew that should appeal to vegetarians and meat-eaters alike...
The split lentils are simmered until tender (but not mushy) with onions, garlic, turmeric and other herbs. Spiced just enough to have a bit of a kick, the wot is easy to eat in the traditional manner, by tearing pieces of spongy flatbread called injera and using the bread to pick up the stew. A dinner order of misir wot is $7." >>more
Bizjournals - Louisville
American City Business Journals Inc.
Ethiopian couple takes restaurant spot on Bardstown Road - by Toya Richards Hill
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The tastes of Ethiopia have arrived on Bardstown Road, just south of Interstate 264.
Queen of Sheba restaurant opened in September at 3315 Bardstown Road, in the Airport Inn hotel.
The restaurant, owned by husband and wife Ferid Abdulla and Selamawit Deneke, features cuisine from the couple's native country of Ethiopia in about 3,000 square feet of leased space.
The couple had owned and operated Abyssinia Restaurant in leased space on Frankfort Avenue for two years, but they closed that restaurant at the end of August.
"We moved here mostly for parking," said Abdulla. He said the Frankfort Avenue space had limited customer parking, but their new location has space for more than 100 cars.
Abdulla said their new location also is more visible, enabling the full-service restaurant to serve both lunch and dinner.
"There has been a lot of demand for us to be open for lunch," he said. Now, "we do a lunch buffet ... Sunday through Friday."
Dinner is available daily except Mondays, and the restaurant can seat about 150 people.
Abdulla said the Queen of Sheba also has a separate room for non-smoking and a large party room.
So far, "the response has been great," he said, adding that he and his wife have invested $30,000 to $40,000 of personal funds in the restaurant.
The restaurant has six full-time employees. " >>more
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Lunch Buffets, owned by husband and wife Ferid Abdulla and Selamawit Deneke