WP's @TomSietsema loves Ethiopic, but has new favorite on H St... @atlasroom ?

Tom Sietsema reiterates his opinion that Ethiopic (401 H St) is the DC's best Ethiopian Restaurant in his online chat earlier today.  He also drops a hint that he's found a new favorite place to dine on H Street, which he will be previewing with a "First Bite" column in a few weeks.  Sounds like Tom enjoyed his early visits to The Atlas Room (1015 H St) as much as we did! 

Q. Ethiopic

I just want to give a big shout out to Ethiopic. Over the weekend, my husband and I went there for the first time after reading so many positive reviews. Our food was taking an especially long time, and they ended up bringing out my entree (the vegetarian sampler) first so that we could at least begin to eat. Even after my entree came out delayed, it was nearly another 30 minutes before my husband's entree was ready. The waitress apologized multiple times, and though we were somewhat annoyed, we were also famished and the food was amazing (best Ethiopian I've had in the city, hands down!). However, when our waitress stopped by our table to give us one last status update that my husband's entree should be out in 2 minutes, she also told us that because of the backup in the kitchen and subsequent delay, they weren't charging us for his entree. We definitely weren't expecting anything free - we did eventually get our food and fully enjoyed it when it arrived. But it was definitely above and beyond, and we tipped generously to show our gratitude. Bottom line - I highly recommend Ethiopic for the food AND commitment to service!

A. Tom Sietsema writes:

I agree: Ethiopic, despite a few service snafus, is the best Ethiopian playing in the city right now. And up until very recently, it was my favorite place to eat in the ever-expanding scene on H St. NE. (Stay tuned for my First Bite column on Dec. 8 in Food.)

– November 17, 2010 11:03 AM