Flamingo Restaurant

Hello food lovers, it’s time to get exploring again. Pack your imaginary bags and your not-so-imaginary palate and get ready to expand your horizons with authentic East African cuisine. The food may seem different, but the background may ring a bell to the Hmong community: with East African immigrants of today replacing the role with what once belonged to the Hmong, the co-owners of Flamingo are no strangers to the hardship that is assimilating into American culture.

Frewoini (“Fre”) Haile and Shegitu Kebede, are from Eritrea and Ethiopia, respectively, and when the two women met, they shared their stories, thinking about the many women with the same struggles as themselves in upholding their identities in Minnesota. “Our story can speak to women, especially East African women, about possibilities that can exist in spite of the obstacles we face," Shegitu, co-owner of Flamingo said, “we know the pain that other women go through.” Having come from countries that have been and still are in conflict, these East African women are here in America to make a name for themselves, with inspiration to get the message across that despite hardship, women can prevail. "[Shegitu and I] had a bond right away because we shared the same dream,” stated Fre, co-owner. Thus, the partnership was born: Flamingo became the possibility for two women to fulfill their dreams—on University Avenue, no less—a place we know the Hmong are all too familiar with.

Shegitu and Fre describe their restaurant as a unique and evocative destination for a sophisticated East African experience. With inspiration from the rich traditions and values of their ancestors, Flamingo offers, “a celebration of, and commitment to, the beauty of East African Cuisine and the hope for Peace in our homelands.” So although it may merely look like ‘the store behind Subway across the street from Midway Target,’ remember that things are not always as they seem. The restaurant was surprisingly intimate, elegant, and beautiful with authentic pieces of cloth and art from East Africa decorating the walls and huge windows. The atmosphere was comfortable and friendly (food was eaten with both utensils and hands), but it seemed as though I was in a high-end place, which was accurate because I ended up eating quite a bit of quality, high-end food.

I’ll begin with a crash course in East African Cuisine: many of the dishes contain the traditional berbere—a garam masala/spice blend of sorts with East African flair, including red chiles, ginger, cloves, coriander, rue berries, ajwain (or bishop’s weed), and sun-dried wild herbs. Another commonly featured flavor profile is that of Mitmita—an extremely hot spice blend using bird’s eye chiles ground with cardamom and other herbs. Dishes can for the most part be spiced to your liking and are served with the curious looking East African bread known as injera. This bread is like no other bread I have encountered before—it’s spongy and huge and is eaten as an accompaniment to all of the entrees. Shegitu assured my dining companion and I that their injera was different than types you might find at the store: “We don’t use a ‘wet-flour’ base, but rather a dry buckwheat flour. Our injera is handmade fresh everyday and very healthy for you.”

In fact, the majority of East African dishes are very healthy: there is vast vegetarian menu featuring two types of stewed lentils, stewed collard greens, mushrooms, and a little something called SHIRO, which is their version of ‘soul food’—a sauce made from cooking chickpea flour with onion, garlic, and ginger. It was reminiscent of some kind of delicious queso dipping sauce—except without so much of the artery-clogging cheese. It’s served on a hot stone and also eaten with injera.

All of Flamingo’s meat entrees are heavy on the flavor and spice—rest assured there is no blandness here. The “Meat Combo” featured three stewed meats in berbere spices and two sides of vegetables. When my dining companion and I were trying to decipher the differences between the sauces of the beef (zilzil wot and kilwa) and the chicken (doro wot), I came to the conclusion that the sauces were actually the same, but it was the meat itself that made the sauces have subtly-but-distinctly different tastes—a conclusion confirmed by Fre and Shegitu themselves. The spicy, curry-type flavors in the entrees were so flavorful, it didn’t take that much to leave me satisfied. (Note: let the injera soak up the entrees, and eat it later: the spongy bread will have soaked up all the yummy goodness. Trust, it is highly appetizing!)

Another highlight: the most popular and recommended dish (especially for newcomers in the world of East African cuisine) is what is known as sambusa—an African version of a samosa. Sambusas are crispy, homemade pastry shells and filled with veggies, lentils, chicken, or beef. We were recommended the beef ones and as soon as they came out, they were gone via our mouths and stomachs. YUM YUM YUM is all I can say about these little pastries filled with scrumptiousness. I could have had a couple orders of these and been completely satisfied.

Also notable are the offerings of “traditional” American cuisine: there is a big section that offers not only breakfast, but pasta and sandwiches as well. “We know that we need to appeal to people with all tastes, so we have American classics on our menu, with an African twist,” stated Shegitu. Indeed, the menu offered regular favorites such as burgers, chicken sandwiches, gyros, and spaghetti—but one dish in particular that piqued my attention was the Goat Spaghetti. I’ve had plenty of spaghetti, but never had goat meat before. I must admit, I had my own reservations about what goat might taste like, but the way Fre and Shegitu pulled it off was so delicious, I’m surprised more people don’t use it. The goat is slow cooked, which made the meat to very tender, and the “special” spaghetti sauce was light but very tasty and filled with traditional East African spice. If you’re into lamb, trust you will be into goat, too.

Oooh, I almost forgot about the drinks, which was arguably the best part of the meal. They offer traditional soft drinks, but also make these special flavored lemonades. I opted for strawberry-guava and my dining partner chose the mango…we each kept drinking each other’s until they were all gone. Here’s a little special secret from me to you: they make a strawberry lemonade with fresh ginger that isn’t on the menu and is dee-lish. Ask nicely and they’ll share their secret (and favorite) drink with you, too.

My first trip into East African cuisine left me wanting so much more, which was lucky since we had so many leftovers it fed three people for dinner again later. The best part? This food actually gets better when it sits for longer. I ate the leftovers and room temperature later that night…and took some for lunch the next day, which I ate cold, and it was ALL STILL DELICIOUS. It’s thanks to the spongy nature of the injera, I am convinced. I will never judge weird looking bread by its cover again.

As small business owners located right off of University Avenue, and from one immigrant community to another, step in and support this local business today. This place deserves to be filled with customers, but with the light rail construction and an electrical snafu that forced Fre and Shegitu to close their doors briefly, business hasn’t been as, well, busy lately. Bring people….bring LOTS of people—that’s what this cuisine is designed for. The food can feed you all and then some, and your wallet (and palate) definitely will not suffer. Happy eats!

Flamingo Restaurant

490 Syndicate Street N
St. Paul, MN 55104
651-917-9332

HOURS: Everyday from 10:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M.

Available for take-out, catering, delivery, and special events/business meetings (free wi-fi)

www.flamingorestaurantmn.com (check website for a 25% off coupon available for use through June)