ArborFood
Restaurants Review
The Blue Nile proved so popular it outgrew Braun Court; now, it's right downtown at Fifth and Washington in a bright, cheery space with brightly painted walls and trim, wicker basket tables, and side tables bearing the Blue Nile's logo, a portrait of an Ethiopian saint. You have your choice of two "feasts": a vegetarian version with buttered cabbage, potatoes, carrots, spinach, herbed lentils and seasoned yellow split peas, or a meat version that includes all the vegetable dishes plus chicken, beef and lamb. Either way it's fine stuff, seasoned with a clarified butter called niter kibeh and a smokey Ethiopian spice mixture called berbere and served with flat, spongey round of injera bread, which patrons use in place of utensils to scoop up the sautes and stews and pop them into their mouths. The service is still a little unsteady, especially when the place is packed, but should settle down over time. Try to get a window seat up on the old Delux Drapery display platforms, for a unique dining experience that combines the pleasures of intimacy with the odd sensation of eating very much on display.>>more
Metro Times Detroit
Hands-on cuisine - By Jane Slaughter
'' Apparently there are still folks around who haven't tried Ethiopian cooking yet, because Seifu Lessanework, owner of Detroit's first Ethiopian restaurant, says some of his customers bring in their friends in order to show off. Those are not his words, of course; Lessanework, who is nothing if not gracious, says customers bring people "to surprise them, to show them a unique place - something someone had never eaten. They can be a connoisseur...
For those unfamiliar with Ethiopian dining, a big part of the draw is that you get to eat with your hands (steaming washcloths are tendered before and after) and then eat the tablecloth.
As if eating with your hands weren't fun enough, the food is delectable and unusual. Colors are bright: a mound of dark green collards, a puree of red lentils, bright yellow split peas and a paler cabbage (my favorite) sautéed with jalapeño.
Lessanework left Greektown partly because of the parking problem; but now he's found a lot, so in September he'll inaugurate a new Blue Nile, at Gratiot and Brush. His location in Ann Arbor opened in 1989..." >>more
AOL DigitalCity - By Heidi Rehak Lovy
'' Dining at this ethnic joint is truly an adventure. From the elaborate and brightly colored African woodcarvings to the pleasant aroma of unique spices emanating from the kitchen, be prepared for a one-of-a-kind experience. Diners can choose between traditional booths or low wooden chairs that are much more comfortable than they look. Trust and unity is a theme in the Ethiopian culture and meals served on platters and shared by the entire dinging party further emphasize this..." >>more
The Detroit News
Blue Nile owner doesn't forget his 'Windows' roots - by Molly Abraham
 "Seifu Lessanework left his job at New York's Windows on the World in 1982 to come to Detroit and open his own restaurant. Two years later, the first Blue Nile, dedicated to the fare of his native Ethiopia, debuted in a Woodward Avenue storefront and then quickly relocated to a more glamorous setting in Trappers Alley in Greektown.
Lessanework never forgot the restaurant on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center, nor the people he knew there. Many Ethiopians were on the international staff then, and it was still true when tragedy struck on Sept. 11 of last year.
He explained that Sept. 11 is also Ethiopia's New Year's Day, and so most of his countrymen and women were spared because they had taken the holiday off. That strange twist of fate resulted in only three Ethiopians being lost that day.
This new Blue Nile boasts carved wooden chairs, just 18 inches off the floor, pulled up to tables topped with colorful baskets woven of straw and leather.
The design of the chairs dates back to the 15th century. Another ancient motif is the face of an Ethiopian angel in the patterned fabric under the glass tops of smaller cocktail tables. Some of the carved mahogany woodwork, the ornate front door decorated with Amharic characters (the language of Ethiopia) ..." >>more
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