By Lauren Sorenson–New Tradition International Restaurant provides greater Sioux City area with something different when it comes to ethnic cuisine. It’s almost like walking into another world. They offer a vast variety of foods. Their menu displays everything from beef samosas to burgers, tacos, and injera with a variety of different sauces.
Bright red spices are stacked on a rack above a ceremonial coffee set. The air is riddled with the scent of myrrh, but the mouth-watering scent of the food brewing in the back sneaks its way up to the hungry customers. The married owners, Ron and Senait, who is also the cook, personally take your order. While waiting for your food you can enjoy a game of Ping-Pong, or watch the videos of authentic Ethiopian dances.
New Tradition offers a diverse array of food. The restaurant’s menu is separated into three parts: Ethiopian, Mexican, and American. They also offer a little something for someone on a budget with their dollar menu. The Ethiopian meals are served with large sour dough bread, which looks something like a pancake. Upon the sour dough bread are several stews. The traditional food is eaten communally with your fingers. The bread or pancake is known as injera. It is made in a special pan, which is similar to a wok.
On our excursion, Cody Erickson and Hank Binnebose ordered a combination plate that came with the carrot and potato sauce, the spicy lentil stew, a seasoned beef mixture, and a red sauce with chicken.
In Ethiopia the seasoned beef is called tibs, and the red sauce with chicken is called doro wat. They enjoyed the tibs so much they ordered another plate. The tibs were lightly seasoned, giving them a delicate zing. The chopped beef was served with cooked, sweet onions and green peppers.
One of my other friends, Johanna Munoz, tried New Tradition’s authentic Mexican beef tacos, not like what you get from Taco Bell. The tacos were served on flour soft shells with onions and green peppers. The beef used in the tacos is similar to the beef they used for the tibs dish and was slightly seasoned and cut into small pieces. Munoz warns new customers, “Watch out! The green sauce is hot!”
I ordered the vegetarian-friendly Ethiopian platter and it was delicious! The plate was served with several sauces, a banana, and an extra roll of injera. My favorite sauce was pretty mild and consisted of potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. There were three other sauces: a purple cabbage sauce, a spinach mixture, and a spicy lentil stew.
Overall, New Tradition is a local twist on international cuisine. If you’re interested in trying new food, head down to 1411 Jackson Street in Sioux City. The meals are relatively inexpensive and it’s always a joy to see Senait.
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