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Among the delights of Portland's best Ethiopian restaurant is the sensation of briefly escaping an oppressively homogenous city. Enat Kitchen contains none of the wood-hewn clichés that plague Portland dining; instead, it looks like a 1950s drive-in with art imported from Addis Ababa. It's so unassumingly family-friendly that the main room includes a children's play area with toys and a dollhouse.
Yet this is a go-to Friday night date destination for an array of North Portland couples. And for good reason: There are restaurants twice as famous for delivering half as many flavorful stews. While perhaps unfamiliar to most Pacific Northwest palates, they're natural comfort foods.
A primer: Ethiopian cuisine begins and ends with injera, an elastic flatbread that serves as both a plate and a delivery device for dishes with the texture of sloppy Joes. Among the standouts are gomen, collard greens unmatched in flavor and texture anywhere in the city, and enkulal tibs, scrambled eggs with enough onions, tomatoes and peppers to fill a Denver omelet (but with significantly more spice). Use the injera to scoop up these entrees (each priced at $10.99). You'll have the hang of it in minutes. After little more than an hour, there's no question you'll be coming back to wait in line each Friday evening. AARON MESH.
Pro tip: Sharing is a big part of the fun here, and the menu is designed for it. A couple's-sized meal consists of seven entrees served on a plate as colorful as a Trivial Pursuit wheel for $30—or bring a group and do the same thing with larger portions for $44.99.
GO: 300 N Killingsworth St., 503-285-4867, 11:30 am-9 pm Monday-Saturday