NOTE: This restaurant is now closed
Wow – two restaurant reviews in one day, with a movie thrown in to boot. It must be the last day of Spring Break or something. After watching an early showing of Sahara, Laura and I decided to try the Kabob House Grill. Located in an under-used shopping center on Pelham Road, I guess they barage of advertisements in the paper are needed because of the easily overlooked location. Regardless, the ads finally got to me and we decided to give it a shot.
Atmosphere:
We were a bit concerned about our choice when we met the hostess, wearing a tank top and sporting extensive tattoos on her arms. The decor itself strived for a Middle-Eastern flare, including one low table that where diners would have to sit cross-legged. We were seated at a regular table, thankfully.
Menu:
Kabobs, as the name of the place implies, are the dominant feature. These start at $10, and including steak, chicken, lamb, shrimp, and even a vegetarian option.
Service:
Efficient, and quick. Our orders arrived almost before we had finished our salads.
Food:
After placing our order, our waitress (more traditionally attired with no tattoos) brought us pita with a stick of feta cheese as an appetizer. Discovery – I don’t care how much it might be shaped like a stick of butter, feta won’t spread. This was soon followed by a very large salad (which we weren’t expecting) with a tangy homemade vinagrette dressing. So far, everything was quite good.
Our entre’s arrived – Laura ordered a chicken kabob, and I had ordered a sampler with a skewer of sirloin and a skewer of chopped steak. Serving portions were quite large, and both were served with rice and grilled tomatoes. The flavors for all dishes were good, but very subtle. Mine had more garlic, whereas Laura’s had a slight lemon/saffron flavoring. We had been given the option of grilled vegetables, and I almost wish we had taken it. As it turns out, the skewers were basically meat sticks, especially the chopped steak skewer, which looked almost like a roll of grilled hamburger.
Conclusion:
Ever since our fantastic meal at Mataam Fez Moroccan Restaurant one summer in Boulder, Colorado, I’ve been searching for a local place with the same exotic and intense flavors. Therefore, I’m usually a sucker for places advertising themselves as Mediterranean . While the food was quite good, and we will be back, the flavors were a little too subtle (bland) for my taste and expectations. I kept wanting to add salt and pepper. Regardless, Kabob House does offer a nice change from the other options in town.
One last comment – when we finished eating, there were only two other diners in the place. I can see why they are hitting the papers with a good deal of advertising.