Cheap Eats 2017: Shagga

About Shagga

cuisines
Ethiopian

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Color-splashed paintings of village life hint at the culinary exuberance to come at this cafe, which has a more varied menu than many other Ethiopian spots in the area. Sambusas, savory fried pastries, are expertly done, especially the delicately seasoned beef version. Vegetables also get plenty of love. Caramelized carrots and onions elevate sautéed cabbage, and azifa, a cooling salad of lentils, peppers, and tomatoes, is a welcome counterpoint to the heat of ultra-spicy yebeg wat, a lamb stew. Yebeg alicha, a milder lamb stew flavored with ginger, garlic, onions, and herbed butter, is pretty wonderful, too. Also good: Awaze tibs, sauteed beef cubes in a red-pepper sauce; collards with house-made cheese, herbed butter, and chili powder.