1100 Maryland Avenue
Baltimore , MD 21201
Tel: 410-385-0318
OPEN * 11am-11pm ***** Near University of Baltimore
* The menu is the same as that in DC, but the prices are about a buck less here, generally ranging from $8 to $15
Baltimore Sun - Dec 30, 2004
Hot Stuff - Dukem offers a new choice for Ethiopian dining
By Sloane Brown
Special To The Sun
This is the season to be feasting. Dukem Restaurant opened just a week ago on Maryland Avenue south of the Meyerhoff. A brother to D.C.'s popular Ethiopian restaurant of the same name, this Dukem is also owned by brothers Tefera and Getachew Zewdie.
The Zewdies bought the property -- which used to be another Ethiopian joint, Ghion -- a year and a half ago and have remodeled the place. Right now, just the downstairs is open -- with about 25 seats and a bar. Getachew Zewdie describes the place as "cozy and nice," with lots of dark mahogany touches, similar to its elder sibling.
In the next few months, the second-floor dining room will add 50 more seats.
The menu is the same is that in D.C., but the prices are about a buck less here, generally ranging from $8.95 to $15.95. There are various lamb, beef, fish, chicken and vegetarian dishes, as well as combo plates, which will run you a bit more money.
There's doro wot, a chicken stew made with legs or thighs marinated in lemon, sauteed in butter and stewed in a red pepper sauce, flavored with onions, garlic, ginger and cardamom.
The Dukem Kitfo is a mixture of minced beef with homemade cottage cheese, herbal butter and Ethiopian spices. Dukem Special Tibs is a lamb dish marinated in a "secret sauce" and sauteed with onion, rosemary, tomato, garlic and jalapeno.
The complete menu is online at www.dukemrestaurant.com.
Dukem Restaurant (410-385-0318) is at 1100 Maryland Ave. Its hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It will be open New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
Jewish Times - Baltimore
Taste Of Addis
by Lynn Williams
October 15, 2004
Loath as Baltimoreans may be to admit it, that city to our south really does do some things better than we do.
Take Ethiopian food. Washingtonians really "get" Ethiopian. For 30 years or so, they've enthusiastically supported an array of restaurants, from casual holes-in-the-wall to elegant places with traditional basketwork tables and live entertainment.
Baltimore, on the other hand, typically has one Ethiopian restaurant at any given time - right now it's X Café in Federal Hill - and most have not lasted long enough to achieve the ethnic-icon status enjoyed by, say, the Helmand or Thai Landing.
This situation is poised to change, though, thanks to a little bit of Washington know-how. Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant, a popular, upscale spot at 12th and U in D.C., will soon be opening a Dukem II at 1100 Maryland Ave. This is an address already known to Ethiopian buffs, as it was once the home of Ghion, perhaps Baltimore 's best-ever place to sample the cuisine.
According to owner Tefera Zewdie, Dukem (named for a town near Addis Ababa ) has no relationship with Ghion's owners. He was, rather, attracted to the location by "the closeness to the University of Baltimore and the nice neighborhood." That neighborhood includes, of course, the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, whose well-dressed patrons might have been scared off by Ghion's barroom dinginess. They should have no such problems with the new décor; an extreme makeover is both expanding and beautifying the space. According to Mr. Zewdie, Dukem will start small, with 25 to 30 seats, and will eventually open an upstairs dining room with 50 more seats and authentic Ethiopian décor. A late October or early November opening is planned for the restaurant, which will be open 365 days a year.
For an advance look at the menu offerings, check out the D.C. Web site at www.dukemrestaurant.com . The prices will, however, be lower for Baltimore.
