Makeda

Makeda is an Ethiopian restaurant that has been a mainstay for at least a decade on George Street where all the new restaurants are popping up. This is one of my favorite restaurants in New Jersey, and probably the one I most frequently repeat. The place is stylish and always as a chic urban crowd. They often have live music. You can eat on little wicker tables and chairs or sit at a normal table. The best way to have dinner is for each person to order an entree and two veggie sides and share. The food will come out on one large plate on top of very thin, spongy bread shaped like a tortilla. They also give you dry extra pieces of the bread. No utensils are used, you simply tear off some bread and use it to wrap up and pick up the food with your hands. Most of the meats are marinated in spicy sauces. My favorite is zilzil strip, which are marinated in a sauce of Ethiopian honey wine, garlic and onions, and then fried quickly in seasoned butter. My favorite vegetable side is by far the collard greens.

Makeda is also open for lunch even on Saturday. They serve some very interesting wraps at lunchtime, both hot and cold. It's great for a unique quick bite, especially in the summer time.