Assab Eritrean Restaurant (CLOSED)

The secret sauce here is the clarified butter, which douses everything from the kelwa derho, a spicy chicken dish, to the kelwa beggee, hunks of lamb sauteed with peppers, onions and tomatoes. Even the walls are butter-hued, decked with maps and tapestries. Everything is served with generous portions of injera, red and brown lentils and salad. Try the vegetarian sampler, which includes an alicha made with potatoes, carrots, bell peppers and cabbage, okra stewed in a tomato sauce, and seasoned and pureed zucchini. Everything comes topped with a dollop of homemade yogurt to counteract the tongue-tingling spice. If that fails, a slug of Ethiopian beer will do the trick.