Every year I pick a new-to-me restaurant to dine at for my birthday. This year (last week), it was Empress. As a former west coaster, I am used to having several Ethiopian restaurants to choose from, so having only one in Cleveland made me curious and a little suspect.
Thankfully, Empress came through for us. Many other reviewers complained about slow service. I warned the three friends I was with that the service would be slow. Granted, we weren't in a hurry, but I can honestly say our service was excellent. Our server's name was Carolyn and she was lovely. And we sat in a hut (!).
Our food was mostly delicious, minus the bland vegetables. I recommend the lentil sambusa as an appetizer and one of the yetesenega karyas, if you dare. We ordered a variety of meats and vegetables, but it was the segawat and dorowat that were the stand out dishes. The injera bread was a milder flavor than we were used to, but the texture was perfect and we stuffed ourselves silly. A glass of their honey wine washed it all down nicely.
Next time, we plan on ending our meal with the traditional coffee ceremony.