The first week in June comes to a close with more clouds and dampness on the streets of Seattle’s East Precinct:

We stopped by for weekday lunch at Ras Dashen, located at 2801 East Cherry Street.  It is owned by Bogalech Tessema, who can occasionally be spotted socializing at the Ras Dashen bar with regulars.  Upon walking into this corner building, the first impression is of airiness and light.  The floor is a blonde wood, and the interior is studded with woven baskets and folksy, patterned curtains and tablecloths.  It is hard to envision that this space was formerly a church.  The air is sometimes redolent of incense and the televisions were tuned on this day to the French Open (though at a volume that was hardly discernible).  Ras Dashen takes its name from the tallest mountain in Ethiopia.

We ordered the Dashen Vegi Combo for $11.  On that day, the combo consisted of the following: Gomen (collard greens), Fosolia (string beans with tomato sauce and carrot), Misir Wot (red lentils), Shiro Wot (yellow lentils), Okra Alich’a, cabbage and salad.   Our favorites were the Gomen, the Misir Wot and the Shiro Wot.  The Gomen and the Shiro Wot complement each other, and so we used the injera (spongy bread that Ras Dashen serves at room temperature) to grab a bit of each in one bite.  Our least favorite dish was the Fosolia, which tasted a bit too sweet.  If you like spicy Ethiopian food, ask for some Awaze (a mild chili paste) on the side.  

The hostess/server was personable and responsive.  We did not have the opportunity to take advantage of the full bar, the honey wine, nor the great variety of Ethiopian beer that they carried.  We will save that for our next trip.  

Ras Dashen is one of the newest and most accessible Ethiopian restaurants, set in the heart of “Little Ethiopia” at 28th and Cherry.  It distinguishes itself from others in the area with its cheery airiness.  Ras Dashen is open Tuesday thru Thursday from 11 am to 11:30 pm, Friday to Saturday from 11 am to 1:30 am and Sunday from 12 pm to 12 am.  It is closed on Mondays.

The Ethiopian Restaurant scene in the Central District is somewhat of an undiscovered gem.  Starting this week, we will visit each and every Ethiopian restaurant in/around the Central District.  Here are the restaurants we plan on visiting.  Let us know in the comments, if we have missed any:

• Adey Abeba
• Ambassel (formerly Addis)
• Assimba
• Blue Nile
• Cafe Selam
• Hidmo
• Kokeb
• Lalibela
• Meskel
• Mesob
• Ras Dashen
• Saba
• Zobel

Yesterday the SLOG wrote about the “unaccounted for” city surveillance cameras at 23rd & Cherry that popped up on monitors during a tour by city council members and the ACLU.

While they may have been a surprise to those parties, they shouldn’t be a surprise to CDNews readers who have been around for a while. We got all of the details on them last summer and wrote two long articles:

Digital Eyes on 23rd – Cameras Aid Shooting Investigation

More on Surveillance Cameras: Funding, How They Work

Note that at the time of the first story, our poll showed that only 8% of residents were opposed to the concept.

The issue was also discussed a couple months later on HugeAssCity.com (written by a CD resident)

The surveillance cameras have come under scrutiny recently, with the ACLU calling for the installations to be removed. According to the reporting from our friends at CHS, the city council is considering a set of options that range from expanding the program to shutting it all down and removing the equipment.

Just got an email from Seattle Center on a what could become a very hot ticket.  The concert is this upcoming Wednesday, and the ticket price — and where the money goes — seems just right.  Added bonus:  It’s at McCaw Hall.  From the release:  

Two of the nation’s leading high school jazz bands have just returned from the 2010 Essentially Ellington Competition in New York. Garfield High School Jazz Band won first prize for the second year in a row, and Roosevelt High School Jazz Band received an honorable mention. You can hear both bands in concert, performing big band standards, including works by Duke Ellington, on Wednesday, June 9, 7:30pm at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Center. “Pay what you can” donations are requested – suggested donation of $20 at the door benefits Garfield and Roosevelt High School Music Programs and Seattle Center Foundation. This concert is sponsored by the City of Seattle, Seattle Center Foundation and 88 5 KPLU, NPR News and All That Jazz.

Looks like there is a hairdresser in the center unit in this building facing Union St–due West of the window of the Cortona.  Any news?

We got a note from reader AN who asked about Thompson’s Point of View:

any word on that place?  the windows have been taped over with plastic and no one is hanging out front these days….. 

We spoke with staff there who said that they’re doing an interior remodeling, including a new coat of paint. They’re planning to reopen in time for lunch tomorrow (Friday).

As we reported last month, Thompson’s had a change of ownership after an untimely death in the family, and Gail Thompson told us then to look forward to some interior improvements soon. 

At Seattle Center’s McCaw Hall next Wed, June 9 at 7:30.

http://www.seattlecenter.com/news/detail.asp?me_medianum=1613

We finally saw resolution on one Madrona school’s principal controversy when Farah Thaxton was officially named to replace Kaaren Andrews last month at Madrona K-8. But a new one is brewing a few blocks down at St. Therese Catholic School, as parents are challenging the Seattle Archdiocese’s decision not to renew principal Eileen Gray’s contract.

Our news partners at the Seattle Times reported on the rally by parents, students and community members in front of the Archdiocese’s headquarters yesterday.

They allege the decision was part of a plan by the Seattle Archdiocese to disperse the African-American students at St. Therese School, which is predominantly black, to other Catholic schools.

Le Roi Brashears, a parent, said he believes the archdiocese thinks St. Therese parishioners send their children to other schools because a high percentage of the school’s students are minorities, as is Gray, an African American.

Not renewing her contract, he said, could discourage black families from sending their kids to the school.

The Archdiocese disputes that race is the issue, but hasn’t given details or a reason for not renewing Gray’s contract. Her supporters are calling for her contract to be renewed for two more years, after which she could retire.

Gray has been the principal for 20 years, so for many Madrona residents and St. Therese students and former students, she’s an institution. It will be interesting to see if the Archdiocese or the school yields to pressure and decides to renew Gray’s contract, or at least make a statement with more explanation for the move.

All the news from the streets of Seattle’s East Precinct:

I live in the Mt Baker area and there has been a lost dog in the neighborhood for about a week now.  It has a purple collar and is brown and white.  No one has been able to get near it.  It is hanging around the Cascadia, Mioposto area.  Anyone recognize it?  Looks like the picture but darker brown.