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| - Blue Nile is a continuation of the Phoenix lesson to never judge a restaurant by its strip mall exterior. As part of my rediscovery of Tempe thanks to the light rail, I decided to give this second of only two Ethiopian restaurants in Phoenix a try for lunch one weekend, and I can't believe what I've been missing.
Yes, I admit, the first time I ever tried Ethiopian food years ago, all kinds of juvenile thoughts ran through my head. I even discretely (I hope) chuckled to the friend I came with, "What are they going to do... serve our food by air drops?" But I quickly got over my cruel, immature stereotypes and have been hooked on this cuisine for a long time, in Phoenix always satisfying my craving at Lalibela. Blue Nile offers a slight variation from the Lalibela experience but still delivering the same core of delicious, filling, interesting food that isn't really possible to describe to you without your actually trying it.
Again, the moment you walk inside Blue Nile you'll realize how different the interior is from the strip mall exterior. It's warm, cozy, daintily decorated with Ethiopian knick-knacks, extremely clean, neat and tidy throughout. I decided to order a combo plate of misir wat (lentils) and creamy curried chicken, which of course came on a bed of hot injera (a "bread" that has the consistency and taste of a crepe) with extra injera on the side. Yum! I also had a bowl of soup, which was delicious although not quite as mind-blowingly yummy as Lalibela's shorba, I must say.
Blue Nile offers both meat dishes and several vegetarian options that meet strict vegan standards, which I find impressive. Despite being a carnivore I did order one of the vegan dishes, the misir wat, and it was excellent. My entire meal, including two entrees with injera and a bowl of soup but just water to drink, was about 10 bucks. I will be back here often, as it's just across the street from the University/Rural train stop.
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