Next came out a big platter with lamb on the bone (nice strong lamb flavor), and thin cutlets of breaded fish and chicken (both simple and well executed):
Next up was a big platter of spaghetti, easy on the tomato sauce.
Then came a big bowl of salad with tomato , onion, and leafy greens. They also gave us a bowl of bright green hot sauce that looked very fresh and was medium-spicy. Although it was a considerable amount, we polished off the hot sauce easily.
The lamb and the seasoned rice were highlights. They also make a beef stew and a chicken stew. which we did not get.
This was a thoroughly likeable meal. I think anyone would be pleased.
This meal was so much better than the other Somali meal my wife and I had, maybe 20 years ago, also in the Build America shopping center, but on the other side. It’s closed now, and rightly so. It was a good lesson in not judging a cuisine based on a single meal.
I really enjoyed this meal, but simplicity is definitely the key word. Hearty good food, which I’d be happy to eat regularly. Good people watching too.
The one dish you did not mention, which is key to every Somali meal, is the banana. I’ve read that in Somalia if a restaurant runs out of bananas they will have to close under they replenish their supply.
I also have a photo that I like a lot of you presiding over a big table of food with some happy eaters. It’s a nice memento of all the good work you’ve done over the years serving as our guide to the byways of DMV food. But I won’t post it in deference to possible privacy sensibilities.
