Fat Kid Adventure #76: Selam Restaurant (San Jose)

(Originally posted on July 12, 2008)

Now that I have graduated, I shall revive this half-dead diary of a self-proclaimed global epicurean. So by now y'all should know my fave is Ethiopian food - shout-out to homegirl Rutah - and now that I am living in San Jose, I am much closer to Ethiopian cuisine. Last weekend, Rar and I tried out Selam Restaurant, an Eritrean & Ethiopian restaurant in San Jose at the corner of Williams and Winchester. Being an Ethiopian restaurant, of course I have to compare this to my beloved Zeni, located barely 2 miles away in the same city.

Selam is actually a teensy bit more than just a restaurant - it is also a tea and coffee house. We surmise that partial Italian occupancy in Eritrea in the past led to a legacy of coffee and tea drinking. Anyway, this has led people to drop by just for hanging and drinks. The setup of the venue is very simple, though somewhat lacking in that traditional atmosphere that Zeni provides. Set in a strip mall, the joint has inside and outside seating - 2 outside tables and 5-6 inside tables. The small space makes it a bit homey. The menu seemed a bit more extensive than Zeni, but at the same time lacking some of the meat varieties. However, we soon find out that everything is flexible and that we substitute dishes with any kind of meat we preferred. In this sense, the service is excellent - we were definitely taken care of.

We made a special order (aka off-the-menu): a portion of chicken tibs with rice, kik alitcha (split peas) and gomen wot (collard greens). The injera seems to be made inside the restaurant, and that's props to Selam because Zeni has theirs made by another vendor. The chicken tibs were juicy and spicy - A+, and eaten with rice while wrapped in injera it was just a mouthful of goodness. This is the first time, we have had rice with chicken tibs, but it is just as good. The gomen wot is more juicy and salty than Zeni, and that made it just okay. The kik alitcha was as good as Zeni's - it is a simple dish and you can't really go wrong with it.

Overall, we still love Zeni more simply because of the atmosphere, service, and of course the food that puts a spell over me.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/selam-restaurant-san-jose