Blue Nile: 20 E 5th

Ethiopian food is great, but it’s just plain weird for lunch. I’ve always imagined that this place does good business, but instead found it to be almost empty at the height of lunch hour.

They don’t have a menu specifically for lunch, which is a shame. Basically you end up ordering way more food than you want, because otherwise you would order way too little. You see, the waiter told us that one portion was more than enough for one person, but too small for two. I know, Ethiopian food is all about the communal plate, sharing heavily spiced food mounds with several of your closest (and hopefully cleanest) friends. But lunch is a different ballgame–if the food doesn’t translate, than come up with another idea.

With all that being said, the Ethiopian food here was actually quite good. I have no complaints about the flavor or presentation. And it came with entertainment–you see, the waiter spilled a glass of water on my lunch companion. hehe.

Were this blog entitle KC Dinner Spots, I’d find myself tossing out an unmitigated recommendation. But for lunch…I don’t know, the food is pretty rich and heavy. Anyone who has eaten it knows that it’s hard to stop when you’re full too. I think the key is to go to Blue Nile when you are out with a few other people–certainly not by yourself. Half the fun is being able to try several different things and you need a larger group to make that work.

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