Rosalind's Ethiopian Restaurant

The towering neon sign above Rosalind's Ethiopian Cuisine points down toward the eatery's entrance, where live Ethiopian music and aromas of Ethiopian, Ghanaian, and Nigerian cuisines escape into the air. Though bands gather only on the weekends, the kitchen staff serve their menu of steamed vegetable, lamb, chicken, beef, and seafood dishes daily until 2 a.m. Their house specialty is the special tibs entree, showcasing spicy beef served atop charcoals in a traditional Ethiopian pot. Servers encourage diners to eat their dishes by hand, resulting in fingers speckled with nutmeg and games of Paper, Rock, Scissors with plantains.

Thatched roofs hover above the eatery's dining areas, which include booths, tables, and traditional Ethiopian mesobs—woven tabletops with woven lids that are surrounded by stools to facilitate easy communal eating. African decor and saturated yellows and reds permeate the entire space and enclose the full bar, and a scattering of TVs helps diners stay up-to-date with local sports even as their taste buds trot the globe.