Cool Takeout Idea If You're Coming From The South: Pick-Your-Own Dishes At Soretti's

Takeout dinner from Soretti's in Burtonsville

Add an arrow to your takeout quiver by picking up dinner at Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine in Burtonsville.

Soretti's makes all kinds of delicious Ethiopian stews -- along with crisp fried sambusas.  I recommend the casual spot for eating dinner out, but they now have a special "grab and go" menu where you can pick your favorites and some pieces of the spongy Ethiopian bread.

This is incredibly easy.  You just pick from 11 stews -- seven vegetarian for $4 each or three meat for $6 eat -- and add bread for $1 per disk (or $1.50 for the pure teff versions that are totally worth trying).  For each order, you get a plastic deli packet stuffed with the stew of your choice.

You can be in and out of Soretti's in minutes.  You can warm the stews in a microwave, and you can eat in the cool Ethiopian style -- one bread covering your plate, stews poured on top, then another bread torn into pieces to scoop up the stew.  You get rich flavorful dishes with huge options for healthy stuff and lean meats.

You can pick between spicy and mild.  You can serve a bunch of people for $20.  I picked up three stews -- a spicy chickpea, a mild lentils and a spicy beef -- and gorged for dinner and lunch the next day.  I splurged on four injeras, and two stayed spongy and fresh in a plastic bag.

Soretti's is just west of Rte 29 on Rte 198.  It's easy to reach from Howard County, but the takeout dinner is ideal if you commute home on Rte 29 from the south.  Check the list of "grab and go" dishes on their Web site.  Call in an order.  Grab dinner and head back on the road.

Comfort: Bread - In Many Forms - With Meat Or Vegetables (And Potato Salad On The Side)

The vegetarian special at Soretti's

Bon Fresco Sandwich Bakery has begun charging 50 cents for its potato salad side dish, and you shouldn't think twice about picking up one or even two.

Fresh bread makes wonderful comfort food.  To me, no one makes a better sandwich than Bon Fresco's London broil.  But don't go cheap and miss out on the amazing potato salad -- smooth without being heavy, getting all the flavor from the basic potato without tarting up with cream and fat.

Fifty cents is a bargain.   It's better than any bag of chips -- and cheap at that price.

Bon Fresco's London broil and potato salad

But comforting bread can come in many forms.  The Bon Fresco sandwich makes for an easy grab.  Even after a drive home, the thin-sliced steak contrasts perfectly with the crisp greens and the slightly chewy loaf.


In contrast, Soretti Ethiopian Cuisine's vegetable special provides a homey, simple challenge.  You just eat everything. Eat the vegetables.  Eat the lentils.  Even eat the plate -- the injera bread spread out beneath the stews.

It's not literally the plate.  There is a plate under the injera.  I realize that Ethiopian vegetable platters may not be the most-standard comfort food.  But I last ended up in the Burtonsville restaurant on night where I had to feed myself and a cold.  I brought a paperback novel, and I sat quietly with dinner and a cup of sweet Ethiopian tea.  One of the lentils runs spicy, but mostly, the salads and stews just taste like vegetables.  Bright colors, earthy flavors, and healthy fuel for a healing body.

Soretti is a friendly, relaxed place.  The women there treated me nicely, and I hung out to read and finish my tea.  They offered some extra lentils, which sounded smart until I realized that I was incredibly full.  They're delicious, but I realized eventually that I was scooping food to be polite -- not because I needed any more to eat.

Samosa Week: You Say Samosa. I Say Sambusa Because I'm Eating Ethiopian At Soretti's

The last stop on Samosa Week takes us the farthest away -- Burtonsville and Soretti Ethiopian Cuisine.

The Ethiopian samosa is a sambusa.  It's the classic fried savory pastry with dough wrapped around a filling.  Soretti does three versions: beef, chicken and lentil.  They're the ideal fried item, so not-greasy that I thought it might have been pan-fried until I realized it was browned all over.

The sambusas are triangles.  Thinner than the Indian samosa.  The dough is thinner too, but still chewy.  It's somewhere between the thicker Indian and the crisp Afghan version.  The chicken version has minced meat with a little corn and other vegetables.  The lentils are tender and firm.

Like the Indian samosa, Soretti's sambusa itself doesn't have much spice to it.  It's great for the crunch, but the flavor comes from the accompanying sauce.  It's brown and slightly sour.  I was thinking tamarind again, maybe even lemon.  But that couldn't have been more wrong.

The sauce is based on balsamic vinegar with basil, olive oil, honey and black pepper.  Vinegar, oil and basil?  Can anyone say Italy?  Of course, that's the history of Ethiopian, and it just shows that fried pastries can rule the world.

If you give sambusas a try, they're a fine appetizer before Ethiopian stews that soak into the injera.  Consider the vegetarian and meat samplers as I wrote in a prior post.

This is part of Samosa Week -- a celebration of savory pastries from India and beyond.  We're highlighting the best of Howard County's fried appetizers in all kinds of flavors.

All-Teff Injera At Soretti's Ethiopian

Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine has transformed itself into a nice, casual restaurant, and the Burtonsville spot has now begun to toss out the exotic items.

Years ago, this was a coffee shop.  But now Soretti's has spruced up the art, added more tables, and hung curtains to soften the front windows.  They're serving beer, including an Ethiopian variety, and even offering bread made from the authentic teff.

Link: Soretti's Ethiopian on Rida Allen's Blog

Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine gets written up on Rida Allen's author-blog -- a positive review even from a diner who doesn't relish hot food or the taste of the Ethiopian bread injera.

I'm always impressed by people who find something that they like even when a restaurant's basics aren't in the their comfort zone.  Rida doesn't eat much spicy food, and she didn't love her first experience with the spongy injera.  But she enjoyed the lentil sambusas and sampled an enormous shared platter to discover that she loved the injera soaked with the mild chicken tibs.

That's the fun of new places, and I absolutely recommend Soretti's, which is a casual storefront on Rte 198 in Burtonsville.  Many people find injera to be either strange or unwelcoming.  But the stews -- especially for vegetarians who can eat well from lentils and vegs -- are a unique, delicious flavor.  Soretti's is a fine place to give yourself a chance to enjoy some part.

Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine in Burtonsville

Our outlet for Ethiopian food continues to expand and improve as Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine converts to a casual restaurant.

Soretti's Ethiopian is the name of the family-run restaurant on Rte 198 in Burtonsville. It opened as Coffee Oromia and sold a few Ethiopian items under a coffee shop menu. Now, the rechristened spot serves a broader menu of beef, chicken, lamb and vegetable stews.


I don't claim Soretti's competes with the Ethiopian hotspots in DC.  But it's a great casual option for injera and the vegetable, beef and chicken stews that make Ethiopian unique, tasty and really healthy as well.  The injera bread isn't Mrs. HowChow's favorite, so I have stopped at Soretti's most often for lunch.  The vegetable combination has become my go-to dish because you get a half-dozen flavors that make for a memorable meal.  Lentils, beans, carrots, greens, cabbage -- they're all recognizable and accessible, but cooked with flavors make them new.


I'm also a sucker for Ethiopian meat stews.  The meat often seems lean and can be tough, but the right stews are spicy and delicious.  Beef or chicken tibbs are easy entries into the cuisine.  If you go with two people, I'd recommend ordering two combinations -- one vegetarian and one meat.  You'll get to try most of the menu, and you'll be bound to find something that you like.  And you need to eat the entire injera that comes under your stews.  The sauces soak into the bread, and those soaked pieces can be the best part of the meal.


Soretti's is a comfort food like of place.  You sit at a casual table, and the owner comes around from the counter to take your order.  If you're new to Ethiopian, just know that you eat with your hands.  You'll get injera under the stews, plus more pieces on the side.  You rip bite-sized pieces of bread, then use them to scoop up the stews.  If you can eat guacamole with a Frito, then you can eat Ethiopian.  It's easy and fun.


(Update: Soretti's has just gotten nicer in 2011.  They spruced up the art and the curtains at the front.  In early spring, they were running an $8.50 special at lunch.  Still a huge plate of food, but a special price.  The vegetarian combination had five items, including greens, lentils, and a spicy tomato salad.  Check out the injera made from authentic teff -- an Ethiopian grain that makes a drier, less sour bread.)


Burtonsville is super-convenient off Rte 29, and it is just one exit south of Howard County.  If you're go down there, check out the the homemade ice cream at Seibel's or consider dinner at Cuba de Ayer or Maiwand Kabob.


Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine

15510 Old Columbia Pike (Rte 198)

Burtonsville, MD 20866

240-390-0044

NEAR: This is on Rte 198 just west of Rte 29. From Howard County, you take the first exit on Rte 29 south of the river. That exit puts you on an old piece of Rte 29 that passes an Indian temple and a garden center. Turn right on Rte 198 at the traffic light. Soretti's is a block up on the right next to a Maiwand Kabob outlet.

Cafe Oromia Changing Its Name To "Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine"

The closest Ethiopian option to Howard County has completed its transformation from coffee shop to restaurant.

I had reported that Burtonsville's Coffee Oromia already changed its name to Cafe Oromia. This is a casual restaurant on Rte 198 at Rte 29 that offers Ethiopian stews and even some Ethiopian breakfast options. I love injera, and several regular commentators -- including Bets, Dzoey, and Momomom have talked up this food.

Now, HowICook reports that the name -- although not yet the outside sign -- has changed to "Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine." It sounds like they're fully converting to a restaurant, and there may even be a "secret" option of off-menu items to explore.

All the indoor signage and advertisements (little postcards) use the new name. The place is still run by the same people. I was told that the place wanted to be a Ethiopian restaurant not a coffee house. So even though they have the same coffee setup, there's no mention of coffee anywhere else. Soretti is the nickname of the lady who does the wonderful cooking.

They've been advertising a $6.95 lunch menu that they honor on Saturdays too. We had lamb wot and vegetable combo today served Ethiopian style on one plate with an extra injera and no eating utensils.

I wish they would unify all the menus (coffee, breakfast, lunch & dinner) and the off menu items and lower the dinner prices a bit. The menu items should reflect the community dining aspect of Ethiopian food and not the single dish mentality of the menus. I'm thinking all small plates served together on injera. They've already lowered the wine and beer prices. This is one of my favorite ethnic dining experiences.

Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine is next-door to a branch of Maiwand Kabob and a building east from Cuba de Ayer -- a casual Cuban restaurant that is absolutely worth a drive from Columbia.

Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine

15510 Old Columbia Pike (Rte 198)

Burtonsville, MD 20866

240-390-0044

NEAR: This is on Rte 198 just west of Rte 29. From Howard County, you take the first exit on Rte 29 south of the river. That exit puts you on an old piece of Rte 29 that passes an Indian temple and a garden center. Turn right on Rte 198 at the traffic light. Soretti's is a block up on the right next to a Maiwand Kabob outlet. The sign may still say "Cafe Oromia."

Ethiopian Breakfast in Burtonsville

You don't have to settle for diner bacons and eggs if you're looking for something more exotic for breakfast.

Eggspectation makes a great breakfast in Ellicott City, but Cafe Oromia in Burtonsville offers Ethiopian options if you run down Rte 29. Cafe Oromia has gradually expanded its Ethiopian menu into a nice, small cafe. They started as a coffee shop, and they still offer a basic breakfast menu with baked goods and a standard "fried eggs and bacon" option (as eaten by Momomom's "won't eat most interesting food" husband).

(Update: Cafe Oromia changed its name to Soretti's Ethiopian.  By 2012, they had stopped doing breakfast, but they do great lunch and dinner.  Check here for the Soretti's posts.)

But there are several Ethiopian alternatives in the morning as well. Start with scrambled eggs with spices and vegetables that are just a Oromia variation on an American breakfast. Go one step farther for Ethiopian wheat grits. Or try a truly traditional breakfast of ful -- the beans and condiments eaten when the sun comes up from the Middle East through Egypt into Africa. I thought the ful was delicious. Warm, creamy and full of flavor from the beans and from the onions, tomatoes and spicy peppers that I stirred around. The beans have the heartiness of oatmeal, but the savory flavors that I prefer even at breakfast.

Cafe Oromia is a really casual place with good coffee. Great if you're stopping quick on the way to do errands or if you're pausing to read the newspaper in peace. (And you can also still order beignets. They're not on the printed menu, but they're whip them up, according to Momomom.)

The stretch of Rte 198 west of Rte 29 offers a few interesting options beyond Cafe Oromia, including Cuban at Cuba de Ayer, Afghan at a branch of Maiwand Kabob, and homemade ice cream at Seibel's.

Cafe Oromia (now Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine)

15510 Old Columbia Pike
Burtonsville, MD 20866
240-390-0044

NEAR: This is on Rte 198 just west of Rte 29. From Howard County, you take the first exit on Rte 29 south of the river. That exit puts you on an old piece of Rte 29 that passes an Indian temple and a garden center. Turn right on Rte 198 at the traffic light. Coffee Oromia is a block up on the right next to a Maiwand Kabob outlet. There is a sign.