From paninis to wraps, salmon to sushi, Mita Cafe on Kennedy Street offers a fun selection of Ethiopian and Japanese fare.

by Cassandra Hetherington

The seven-hundred block of Kennedy Street NW has become a culinary destination. Opened late November, Mita Cafe is the newest addition to this strip and Brightwood Park is lucky to have them. Sharing space with the florist Roots and Blooms, the dynamic team of Chef Takehiko Inoue, Misrak Gebrhiwot, and Misrak’s Cousin Z, bring Ethiopian and Japanese cuisine to this block. This is not a fusion experiment but almost like two separate cafes within one cozy space teeming with plants.

Takehiko worked as a chef in Japanese embassies around the world for nearly two decades. His employment has taken him to the Dominican Republic, Uganda, Iran, Florida, and back and forth to Ethiopia. It was at the Japanese Embassy in Addis Ababa where he met Misrak who was also employed there as an apprentice chef amongst a variety of other jobs. The two married and continued to work for the embassy in their various international locales. Takehiko has prepared sushi for Prime Ministers, Olympic athletes, and international Presidents, and now me. He has received honorary awards and has been written about in Spanish and Japanese language newspapers. While I marveled over his accomplishments, vegetarian sushi magically appeared in front of me and with great pleasure, quickly disappeared into my stomach.

Sushi is not the only food Mita Cafe serves and everything shared with me was fresh, homemade and flavorful. Tell someone you are a vegetarian and soon the conversation will turn to salads. Normally I am not impressed by salad dressings but after trying the Mita dressing, I was begging Misrak for a bottle to bring home. I didn't even mind that I tasted several salad dressings immediately following a homemade Choux a la Creme, or what I know as a profiterole.

In addition to Mita dressing, they offer a French dressing which tasted faintly of shallots, and a Japanese one that was flavorful enough to slurp up like soup. I truly do not envy anyone trying to decide which one they want as all three truly were amazing.

Cousin Z is the master baker of the group and insisted I bring a slice of homemade pound cake to my son. For now, I’m the best mother on the planet, which has everything to do with that pound cake and absolutely nothing to do with my parenting skills.

My tastebuds were pleased that I ignored my “no caffeine after noon” rule as I tried the steaming hot Ethiopian coffee. Unfortunately, I was too full to try any of the paninis or sandwiches and almost left Mita Cafe without knowing that even the white bread for sandwiches is homemade. Thank goodness I live close by and can go back anytime.

The order board crosses the globe, based on the worldwide experience of the chef.

Owning their own restaurant has been a big career change for Misrak and Takehiko. With their knowledge, experience and generosity, it seems to come naturally to them and I am excited this is how they are spending their time as retirees.

The word 見た (Mita) in Japanese means “watched,” “looked” or “saw,” and is also the melding of the Misrak and Takehiko’s names. I look forward to watching Mita Cafe become an established destination for another delicious meal on Kennedy Street.

Cafe Mita
703 Kennedy Street NW