Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant (221 E Washington St; 734-998-4746; http://www.bluenilemi.com) is an Ethiopian restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor.
There are two options on the menu at the Blue Nile: Meat Feast and Vegetarian Feast. Both are all-you-can-eat and served with Injera, an Ethopian bread used to scoop your meal off of giant platters. Utensils are available upon request. Each "feast" includes a variety of cooked vegetable and lentil dishes, with the addition of four meats to the Meat Feast. The vegetarian items are vegan--they are cooked in vegetable oil (the meat is cooked in ghee, but if you're vegan you won't be eating that anyway). Salad is available for an additional charge. The food is tasty, with a mixture of some spicy, some bland, and always fresh tasting and not too salty or greasy. Come hungry in order to get your money's worth because you cannot bring home leftovers!
Note that, while it's a good restaurant, there's doubt about how authentic it is (perhaps because the injera bread is made with wheat flour rather than the traditional teff flour). Apparently, Ethiopian students at UM tend to avoid it.
The service has been spotty in the past, it may have gotten better since their expansion into the old Spoon offices next door.
Update regarding service: I have eaten there many times in the past few years and the service has been excellent, with servers returning to the table frequently to refill the food platter and beverages.
Full bar. No smoking. Closed Mondays. Meeting space available.
Reviews
If you've been around the Ethiopian restaurant circuit, maybe just wait it out until you're back in a city with better choices. (3 star review)
