Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Cheap Eats: Saba - by
Kristin Dizon
''... It's a good sign to see Ethiopian customers in this small, tidy Central Area eatery.
Sandalwood incense perfumes the air rather strongly, and the East African music can be a little loud, but it's all part of the atmosphere.
The pungent, spicy food comes and you happily dig in, utensil-free, scooping up small mounds of food with the spongy, sour injera bread.
Best values at most Ethiopian places are a combination platter, which gives you a lot to taste.
Single dishes cost $8 to $12. Five combinations cost $9 to $15.50. We chose two. The Saba combo ($15.50) came with yebeg tibs (stir-fired lamb with onions), kitfo (spicy beef dripping with rich, tangy butter and topped with farmer's cheese), gored gored (cubed beef in spicy red sauce; served raw or cooked).
The veggie combo offered collard greens, fresh salad, cooked carrots and potatoes, but was missing, without explanation, the advertised lentils.
It was all good, though flavors tended to overlap. If they had offered doro wat chicken in the Saba combo, there'd be more variety for the palette.
It's easy to overeat and forget how injera expands in the gullet. Fortunately, Saba offers boxes to carry leftovers home.
Servers don't necessarily speak enough English to give explanations of dishes or spices, but they always have a smile..." >>more
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