Gut instincts
“The best food on planet earth”
The menu at Ariana Kabob House
asks, “Is Afghan food really the best food on planet earth?” The response is,
“Absolutely. It has been confirmed by an independent panel of random unbiased
Afghan judges.” Next question: “If Afghan food is so tasty, why hasn’t anyone
told me about it yet?” The answer admonishes us, “Because you aren’t very good
at keeping secrets.” Ah, so that’s it.
All we hear about Afghanistan is war, the Taliban,
and al-Qaeda, but it’s a country with an ancient culture, and, of course, its
own food. Sarah and Mohammad Katawazi have set up
shop in Swillburg to introduce us to it. We should be
grateful for the perspective.
Sarah Katawazi came to Rochester 24 years ago to
escape the Russian invasion of her country. She worked as a painter before
breaking her back, and though working now is painful, a recent visit home
inspired her. Things are desperate for many in Afghanistan, and Katawazi wanted to contribute something to the poor there.
Her husband agreed to help her to run the restaurant so they could send some of
the profit back home.
Afghan food is completely new to me, though not at all
strange. It’s stews, kabobs, rice, and bread, much of
which will be familiar if you’ve eaten Eastern
Mediterranean or Northern Indian food. A good place to start is
the buffet, available at all times ($7.95 for weekday
lunch, $10.95 for dinner and all day on weekends). It includes an appetizer,
several meat and vegetarian dishes, a fabulous rice pilaf (more on this), and
an assortment of desserts.
Boranikachola and boranibadim jam are
likely to be on the buffet ($4.95 as appetizers). The former is potato wedges
stewed with onion and tomato, much better than that simple description implies.
The latter is even better, eggplant in a similar setting, garnished with
homemade yogurt. Both are completely vegetarian, and there are enough other
veggie items to please those who shun meats.
But it is the Kabob House, and our buffet
also included a stewed beef dish and large pieces of chicken kabob. Both had
flavor to the heart of the meat, though neither were quite as good as the meats
off the menu.
The menu offers Qablipalow, aromatic hunks of lamb shank served with rice
pilaf ($12.95). The shank came apart with a fork, and was rich without a hint
of gaminess. The house special lamb kabobs were made from a different cut
($12.95), juicier and took more of the flavor of the seasonings (rosemary, perhaps?). Also excellent.
Most dishes come with basmati rice prepared with small
threads of sautรฉed carrots, raisins, and what Sarah Katawazi
called zireh (cumin, I believe). Delicious pilaf is more rare than
it ought to be; you seldom have it at restaurants. Usually, the rice is dried
out, and the flavors don’t blend. This stuff is outstanding. My friend, Marwan, raved about it, saying how happy he was to have
found a place for a great plate of meat and rice.
If you like the meats, you can buy the cuts from Halal Meats, which is in the same building. The Halal Market is another great place for lamb (311 East Ridge Road),
but this provides a south side option.
Like the Turks and the Indians, the Afghan people have a
salted, yogurt-based drink (doogh, $2.25). If you cringe at the idea of salted milk
products, get over it. Doogh is great stuff,
refreshing and healthful. It’s about the consistency of milk, is slightly
fermented, and has diced mint and cucumber, a perfect accompaniment for this
food.
The Katawazis serve you
themselves, and they’re friendly and attentive without fawning. The space is
too large for now, but hey, you’ll definitely get a table. When I first went, I
looked at the buffet and thought, “OK, like the Indian buffets with less breadth.”
But as each and every item turned out to be excellent (and they all did), my
attitude shifted. Ariana Kabob House is unique in
town, deserving your business not only because of Sarah Katawazi’s
noble goals, but also for its yummy food.
Ariana Kabob House, 1009
South Clinton Avenue, (585) 244-3202.
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. & 5:30-9 p.m.; Friday
and Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. & 5:30-10 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30
p.m. & 5:30-9 p.m.
Food tip
Why’d the diner cross the road? To get to
a better location, of course. The Flour
City Diner is moving to 35 Chestnut, re-opening on Thursday, January 4.
It’ll serve breakfast and lunch Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday, and three meals
a day Thursday through Saturday. Don’t skimp on the pie. Call (585) 546-6607
for info.
This article appears in Jan 3-9, 2007.
