Washington, D.C., has a decades-old Ethiopian community, and the district is home to more Ethiopians than any other U.S. city. But their cuisine has been notably resistant to Americanization, according to one D.C.-based food writer. "Why [has] no enterprising local chef come along and attempted to Westernize the Ethiopian meal," he asked. Allow Tsion (See-on) to offer a brief reply.
The Ethiopian owner spent her childhood in Israel, hence a menu that includes malawach and shakshuka as well as firfir and tibs. But she also gives a nod to New York's Jewish diaspora with "Tsion eggs," scrambled with caramelized onions and smoked salmon. It's not far removed from a LEO — lox, eggs, and onions — but in lieu of all that salt is a dish of awaze, a bright green condiment that blends jalapeño, garlic, onion, and ginger.
No knife and fork is supplied, of course; the cradle of injera, torn apart piece by piece, serves as a utensil, too. For the time being Tsion's injera is prepared elsewhere in the neighborhood, from a blend of sorghum and teff. Eventually, the owner hopes, Tsion will make its injera in-house and ideally prepare some small traditional Ethiopian table breads, too.
Also shown: firfir, a spiced stew of onions, tomatoes, and torn bits of injera; the lacy edge of the injera "platter"; the wet-nap presentation.
Tsion Cafe
763 St. Nicholas Ave. (148th-149th Sts.), Manhattan
212-234-2070
www.TsionCafe.com
