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Review content:
About the Food At Sidamo Coffee and Tea on the northern edge of Capitol Hill, open for a little more than a month, soothing green walls and African music meld nicely with the vibrant artwork and the smiles of husband-and-wife owners Kenfe Bellay and Yalemzwed Desta. The two hail from Ethiopia, and the shop is named for a province there known for its coffee. Although they are not from Sidamo, Bellay says, they are typical of most native Ethiopians, who are taught to roast coffee beans at home by their mothers. "That's where I learned the color and those types of things," Bellay says. Now they roast Ethiopian Harrar and Yirgacheffe beans for use in their shop and for sale by the pound ($9 each). "We are working on different types of African coffees, too," he says. "We want to include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda -- all organic, and it must be fair trade, and it must be shade grown. There is no compromise on these three." Desta prepares sandwiches and homemade soups daily. If you're hungry for breakfast, a tasty bet is the ham, egg and cheese on English muffin ($2.99), artfully garnished with fruit. For lunch, try the warm ham and cheese on a round of rosemary focaccia with both American and cheddar cheeses, lettuce and tomato ($5.95). While the roast beef sandwich ($6.95) is described on the menu as featuring lemon-spiked mayonnaise and caramelized onion, it was prepared just like the ham and cheese and was just as satisfying. The soup of the day ($2.95 a bowl, or $6.95 with a half-sandwich) recently was chicken and vegetable, which didn't sound nearly as exciting as it tasted. The heavily black-peppered broth teemed with chicken chunks, carrots, celery and green pepper. The couple hosts an Ethiopian coffee ceremony each Sunday at 2 p.m. to remind them of home. "The coffee is roasted right there in front of people in a small pan, and people sit down together and drink from small cups," Bellay says. --Rina Rapuano (Jan. 10, 2007)
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