Being a vegetarian convention visitor to Vegas is tough, so I give Merkato Ethiopian Cafe five stars for being tasty, cheap, and friendly to both vegetarians and carnivores. I've eaten Ethiopian food many a time in Berkeley, and this Vegas version held up pretty well in comparison. My colleagues had never tried Ethiopian food, but were teff enough for a new adventure. I ordered the Vegie combo and they ordered the Chicken Wot (a stew with a hard boiled egg that C said was fantastic) and a lamb stew. While the food was great, the highlight of the experience was the special coffee ceremony. Our server explained that in Ethiopia guests are traditionally welcomed with such a ceremony - which starts with flame-roasting the beans; no decaf here! The aroma of coffee still lingered on my jacket the next morning; I was sad to have the delicious scent countered by the noxious odors (tobacco and artificial floral deodorizer) of the casino. (Grumble - most convention goers don't appreciate having to traverse the casino floor to get from the hotel rooms to the conference rooms.)
As a bonus Merkato was only 1.6 miles from the back door of the Venetian, so we were able to work up an appetite by walking to dinner. (Note that the neighborhoods traversed are not the greatest, so I suggest eschewing the walk if you're going solo.) Getting a taxi back was easy: we simply asked the driver who had just finished his dinner if he was available.
The vegie leftovers made a great lunch the next day - I consumed most of it while waiting in line at the Southwest ticket counter.
Parking is easy: the restaurant is in a strip mall.