Kitfo

[George Baugh]

I remember eating a delicious spicy tartare in an Ethiopian restaurant in Paris in the early '80s. The tartare was a bright red and I think the meat was minced flank steak. I think the restaurant was in the 14th or 15th. We did not eat with our fingers but with cutlery. The decor was bright and modern, not at all traditional. Does anybody remember this restaurant and know what happened to it or whether it is still open?

[Ptipois]

Kitfo is easy to find on the menu of nearly any Ethiopian restaurant in Paris.

The only Ethiopian restaurant I can find in the 15th is Habesha, though they do not particularly have a bright and modern decor. 19, rue Copreaux, métro Volontaires.

Téléphone : 01 43 06 09 42. Small place, reservation recommended.

Arguably the best Ethiopian restaurant in Paris is Menelik, 4 rue Sauffroy, 17eme - Métro Brochant. 01 46 27 00 82. Do not miss the green coffee ceremony on Friday and Saturday night.

Also:

Entoto 143-145, rue Léon-Maurice Nordmann 75013 Paris, Métro. Glacière. 01 45 87 08 51

Ras Mesfin, 13, rue Léon Frot 75011 PARIS. 01 40 09 26 40. Ras Mesfin does serve kitfo, the Ethiopian tartare, as mentioned on their website.

Godjo, 8, Rue de l'Ecole-Polytechnique 75005 Paris but I would recommend this one the least of the five, having been sick once after going there.

Edited September 12, 2008 by Ptipois (log)

[George Baugh]

Thanks for the suggestions.

The place I was thinking of must no longer exist. At the time, it may have been the only Ethiopian restaurant in Paris, or so thought my friends who took me there. It had a chic modern decor nothing like the rooms of the restaurants whose websites I was able to visit. These seem to be more rustic and trading on a more exotic, folkloric image.

Edited April 2, 2009 by George Baugh (log)

[Ptipois]

Hi,

I think the décor is of little importance. You should try Ménélik, it is really good.

The first Ethiopian restaurant that opened in Paris was Entoto.

Edited April 2, 2009 by Ptipois (log)

[Busboy]

You ate kitfo with cutlery? I've always thought that one of the great advantages of Ethiopian food is that you didn't have to figure out which fork to use.