Today in Alexandria the weather is spring like. 60 degrees and I’m in heaven and feeling a bit feisty. I want something good to eat that’s hearty. Out the door I go to find my latest food kink. About ten minutes into my walk I spot Café Aurora and figure why the hell not.
Café Aurora is a quaint café located in Alexandria, VA. It was featured on WETA channel 26 as one of the best local restaurants for breakfast. And it is certainly one of Northern Virginia's quiet secrets for good authentic Eritrean cuisine.
Once I stepped through the door and I was instantly teleported to a small cafe in Eritrea. My nose was pleasantly invaded by the smells of cumin, turmeric, and all spice lingering heavily in the air. Many locals chatting in a language I don't understand, sipping coffee, songs from their homeland coming out of speakers, and hovering over clay pots filled with ungodly goodness.
After looking over the menu I settled on Qulwa, a tender beef dish cooked with spinach, tomatoes, spices, onions, and peppers. The Qulwa is encased by injera the traditional flat spongy bread. I decided to get mine to go. By time I arrived home the injera did its job of soaking up the juice and flavor from the Qulwa. You do get another piece of injera but the one that’s soaked and extra soggy had my undivided attention.
Sticky moist injera!
I panted in unseemingly carnal delight as my fingers were covered in this sticky moist goodness. The beef mixed with the spinach is tender and a wonderful combination. They were kind to add a small side salad; however this dish is plentiful and the salad is added for good measure. The spices in this dish really give the tastes buds a workout. On a scale of 1 to 10 I give this dish a 9. Café Aurora I will be back to perv you some more.
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