Queen of Sheba
A new Ethiopian restaurant has drawn healthy crowds since opening a few months ago. Queen of Sheba on Henderson deserves the attention.
Queen of Sheba serves a nice combination of 8 different dishes, all served on the ubiquitous, spongy injera bread. I kept going back for more of the red lentils (top left), cabbage and vegetables (top), berbere-spiced chicken with boiled egg (center), and a wondeerful dark-sauced lamb (or was it beef?).
Not to be mistaken for warm, damp towels, injera bread serves as the meal’s plate and utensils. Its soft texture may disappoint those who like crusty bread. With all the saucy dishes, injera does not hold up well as a utensil. If you want a fork or spoon, one must apparently ask. The injera also tends to fill you up. We weren’t offered second helpings of the entrees until we had consumed an entire basket of injera, along with half of the virtual “platter.” It would have been a nice courtesy to tell us we could request seconds earlier.
Queen of Sheba’s food is full-flavored and the staff is friendly. Let’s hop that they can carve out a niche in Tampa, which has been bereft of Ethiopian cuisine since Ibex closed almost ten years ago.
