IN LITTLE ETHIOPIA I seek out the dulet (raw minced beef liver, tripe and other cuts in spiced butter) at Messob; a vegetarian platter followed by a cup of strong, freshly roasted coffee at Rahel Ethiopian Vegan Cuisine; and the turmeric-stained alicha tibs or garlicky chicken cutlet over spaghetti at Awash just a half-mile outside the neighborhood. Most frequently, though, I return to Lalibela. Tenagne Belachew worked in several of the area’s restaurants before opening her own place with her seven children. Lunch is my favorite time of day, when the dining room is quiet and I order one dish from the breakfast menu — say, quanta fir-fir, a combination of shredded injera and dried beef simmered in spiced tomato sauce. If I’m with friends, we build our meal around the 11-dish “veggie utopia” spread over injera; usually we add yebeg alicha wot, a mild and creamy lamb sauté, and the special kitfo, beef tartare glossed with mitmita (a staple Ethiopian spice blend here ringing with cardamom) and eaten with fluffy curds of fresh cheese and pureed collards.

• 1025 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 965-1025, lalibelala.com

A Lalibela special, the Ajebush plate is a combination of meat and veggie dishes.