No, the waiters don't have flies in their eyes.

And no, dinner doesn't consist of one grain of rice.

Ethiopian food is goood (well I've only had vegetarian Ethiopian, so that's all I can vouch for.)

My favorite Eth restaurant is in Adams Morgan in DC, its called Meskarem, but the one I went to yesterday in Mt. Vernon, Dukem, was pretty darn good (and no wait whatsoever- Meskarem is usually packed, at least on the weekends)

I recommend the vegetarian sampler plate. For anyone who's never eaten Ethiopian food, it is served atop the customary Ethiopian flatbread, injera, which kind of resembles a dirty dishtowel or sponge in texture (mmm, sounds good, doesn't it! ;-p). You eat with your hands, more specifically by tearing peices of injera and using them to scoop up bites of food. Its fun and its a nice change from the ordinary, and the spices are exotic. The spiciness fills your mouth rather than burning your tongue.

As much as I enjoy the cuisine, I don't recommend hosting your birthday dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant! People tend to either love it or hate it. For those of you who hate it, I implore you to give it another chance if you only had the meat dishes. And if you still don't like it, you are welcome to go back to your mundane diets of cold cut subs and macaroni and cheese!

V:

One ubiquitous seasoning is a piquant red paste called berbere. It’s made from peppers, garlic, onion, and other spices that are dried and ground into powder; mitmita is a similar but hotter blend. Berbere and mitmita, along with a seasoned, clarified butter called niter kibe—prepared with garlic, ginger, cardamom, and coriander—form the base for a variety of traditional stews.