1847 14th Street, N.W. - Washington, D.C. - (202) 588-9402

WILSON:
I had a good time at Wazzema. The two dollar beers kept me occupied while I thought about how the restaurant made money. The waitress' incredulity that we ordered food was matched only by our own when the food finally arrived. As the only customers in the restaurant, the 30 minute wait was well-worth poking at an unidentifiable bone with ragged flesh dangling off of it, floating in a swampy broth. Of the four menu items we ordered, they could only prepare two, though all four purported to contain the same vague central ingredient, "Chunks of Meat." The one chunks of meat serving that we did eat was quite good, and its lack of spice was more than compensated for by the nervous anticipation of dire intestinal distress. None was forthcoming and I would definately go back a second time.

CHRISTIAN:
Everybody looks for something different in a restaurant. But whatever they're looking for, they won't find it a Wazzema. Our waitress' unwillingness to give us more than one menu and the total lack of ambiance should have been our first clues. When we finally had decided what to order from our one, rather sparse menu, we were told that they only had about half the things listed. One of the dishes we finally got (something with minced meat) wasn't bad; the other one was terrible (we sent it back and they took it off the check with no complaints). The lack of tomatoes in the tomato salad was disturbing. Also, the decision to serve only one piece of Ethiopian bread to a party of four was an egregious oversight. As I sit here waiting to see if I get food poisoning, my only happy memory of the meal is of the company I ate with. I love Ethiopian food, but even the $2 Becks don't make this place worth visiting.

KATHLEEN:
I feel as though my dining experience at Wazzema has given me the skills I need to make it in the real world. The six second delay between my request for a drink..."Could I get a coke, please?"...and the waitress's response (the raising of one eyebrow), instilled the patience of a monk in me. I tried a different approach (practicing my creative thinking skills),..."A Coke?" Six more seconds passed... (patience, composure). She looked pensive, and asked, "A Coke?" (Analyze, think critically)..."Yes, a coke please." At last, the request registered! (success through perseverence). The food at the restaurant tasted pretty good but looked a little like catfood (HOWEVER, I'm not talking about "Meow Mix" or anything like that but something more comparable to "Fancy Feast"). I recommend Wazzema to cat lovers and as a great meeting place for self-improvement workshops.

Also in attendance was Randy.