The night before my brother's wedding, my Indian family, and the bride's Bangladeshi family came into Indianapolis at various times, with varying dietary preferences, and we were all very hungry. Seeing Ethiopian close to the airport, I called the restaurant and asked if 4 to 11 people (I know, quite a spread in the numbers) could be accommodated in less than an hour. Thankfully they said yes.
When we arrived, with 8 people, despite being kind of in the middle of a dead zone, the restaurant itself was an oasis: the decor was homey, eclectic, and friendly, and immediately we were greeted by the very warm and charming server, Sabrina. She helped us decide on what to order and was such a delight to deal with in every way. She even kept it light, funny, and good humored even when my mom and aunt kept commenting on her beauty, while I felt a little anxious about it!
We ordered lots of sambussa, of practically every kind, a vegetarian platter, a chicken platter, and tea service. I live in New York City, where, we believe, we have some of the best, if not the best, of every type of imaginable cuisine. Yet the Ethiopian food here was tastier than any of my favorite spots in NYC. We all ate so much, everyone remarking on how they ate way more than they realized they were hungry for.
Meanwhile, Sabrina, our server, was attentive and generous with her time, and even brought us some honey wine to try, to complement our special wines we had brought for the wedding as well. ($20 corkage fee here, which is reasonable). The tea service at the end was elegant and tasty, and we asked for milk with ours because, hey, that's what Indians/Bangladeshis do, and our server was very happy to oblige.
Even with eating so much, we still had delicious leftovers to take with us as well which Sabrina packed for us with extra bread (injera). She even gave us a tour of the fun bar in the back which will open soon as well. While the food and atmosphere were 10/10, somehow our server made the experience exponentially better. I generally don't look forward to coming back to Indiana, but this place alone has helped tip the scales back in my home state's favor. We also met the owner and head chef who deserves tremendous praise in every aspect for the 10+ years he's been operating.
I can't imagine another dining experience that could so well keep us hyped for the next day, satiate us and relax us after our travels, and offer something for everyone to love, and then some! Now I get to be that annoying person in NYC who will tell people when Ethiopian cuisine comes up, "Oh, you like _______? Yeah, it's pretty good, but the best I've had is actually kinda in the middle of nowhere in Indiana!"
Thank you to Major, the owner, and Sabrina for a truly spectacular night, and meal! I will (hopefully) be back soon!
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