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The food is well-seasoned but relatively heat-free. As cilantro advises above, avoid the chutney and your little one should be just fine.

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

Finally made it to Kabul House last night and I'm only sorry that it took me this long. Absolutely loved it--not a weak dish in the bunch, terrific and thoughtful service and great value. Aush-Rishta soup to start (included with the meal)--savory, hearty and well balanced flavors--delicious.

App's were Aushak (a tad salty tonite but that was my only quibble), Mantoo (everything my earlier version at Jibek Jolu's were not--toothsome wrap that never got soggy, well-seasoned filling and meat sauce, tangy yogurt dressing--balance is again the word that comes to mind) and the Bulanee (one of my favorite items of the night--leeks, onions, potatoes and spices stuffed into thin dough and pan fried).

The apps were soon followed by the rest of our order which consisted of the Murgh Chalau, vegetarian rice combo, an extra order of the Sabzee (spinach), and the seasoned rice. The perfect amount of food and combination of items to get a great feel for the cuisine which I'd never had before. Nothing to add that hasn't been said above--just an echo that this is consistently delicious and thoughtfully prepared food.

And as great as the savory side of the menu is, we loved the desserts just as much--really interesting crunchy baklava and delicious semi-sweet firnee (kind of like a milky rice pudding). The only slight miss was the ice cream--billed as a combination of rosewater, pistachio and cardamon--tasted more like vanilla to me )

I will definitely be finding reasons to make my way to Skokie--Kabul House seems like quintessential GNR to me.

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“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” Elizabeth Taylor

Reporting back:
Aush-Rishta soup was a little too spicy for the little guy, but the chicken kabob got a big thumbs-up. I found my mantoo a bit bland and tough on the edges, but an application of the green chutney really helped. Agree with the high praise for the lentil soup, and the baklava was quite good.

I had dinner with a group of LTHer's a couple of days ago and came away very impressed. I'm not very knowledgeable about Afghan food, but what I had was fresh, well seasoned and very tasty.

Like boudreaulicious, the only off note for me was a too salty order of Aushak. The Mantoo were a wonderful combination of beef, spices and toothsome dough wrapper, the Aush-Rishta soup was rich with good noodles and a lovely swirl of yogurt, the Murgh Chalau was moist and tender, which is often a problem with chicken for me. The vegetarian plate of sauteed spinach, eggplant, okra and pumpkin were a revelation, I'd go back for that alone.

I plan on returning and trying the rest of the menu, this is a definite GNR in my book.

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For what we choose is what we are. He should not miss this second opportunity to re-create himself with food. Jim Crace "The Devil's Larder"

I'm so glad to see the Qazi family back! They are among the most gracious hosts of my experience. I have been eating their Afghan fare since the days when they were on Main Street in Evanston and served pizza as well. Their vegetarian dishes used to be the first things my daughter and I craved upon returning from a trip. (Now I live a bit far away for that). One evening, Abdul Qazi opened his closed restaurant for me, after I returned home to a very hot top-floor apartment one August night and needed a cool refuge. I have ordered catering for a party there, and everything came out as well as it does in the restaurant. And OH, those aushuk!

I heartily support GNR status for Kabul House!

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Man : I can't understand how a poet like you can eat that stuff.
T. S. Eliot: Ah, but you're not a poet.

This restaurant is a delight. The staff are welcoming and the food is simply prepared, but very flavorful. Meals at other Afghani restaurants have left me feeling underwhelmed, but my two visits to Kabul House have changed my mind about this cuisine. I have not had any dishes here which I did not enjoy, but my favorites are the pumpkin served with yogurt and the kebabs. I enthusiastically support this restaurant for a GNR.

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Jyoti
A meal, with bread and wine, shared with friends and family is among the most essential and important of all human rituals.
Ruhlman

I've followed this place from Main Street in Evanston to Dempster in Skokie to their current location on Oakton, and I've got to say that, if anything, their food is better than ever. The flavors are bright and fresh, and everything is perfectly spiced. I thought I had tried almost everything on their menu, but managed to find yet another new delight--the bulanee--on my last visit. I can't wait to make another visit. A definite GNR!

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"Life is a combination of magic and pasta." -- Federico Fellini

Dined tonight with 7 others -- can't add much that others haven't already said.
Soups are both great; dumpings are astounding (don't order to share -- too good), the bulanee better than most Indian filled breads. Lamb dishes are fantastic, deserts fun and not too sweet.

We'll be back!

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What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang

Kabul House accepts their GNR Award 11.0420

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

As much praise as has been heaped upon this place, I'm not sure it's enough. About a month ago, I moved my office to within minutes of Kabul House and have been eating there even more frequently. Last night, even though I wasn't working, the family and I headed over there for a late dinner. As always, the food was delicious and the service was friendly and highly competent. I've been to Kabul House at least 2-dozen times since it re-opened (including carry-out) and the food is remarkably consistent. Dumplings (aushak and mandoo) are always delicious and explosive with intoxicating flavor. A new cauliflower appetizer, which has been offered over the past couple weeks, is yet another "don't miss" item. Soups are complex and satisfying. Murgh Chalao (braised chicken stew with chickpeas) is a generous bowl of deliciousness that's nearly impossible to stop eating, even after you're full. Kabobs are cooked so perfectly at Kabul House, they shame just about every other place I can remember having them around town. They are hot, tender and juicy and never overcooked. This is especially true of the koubideh, murgh koubideh and murgh kabobs. For me, right now, the murgh kabob is my absolute favorite. It's downright sensational. It consists exclusively of well-seasoned boneless chicken thighs, and they are truly addictive. The result on the plate is the antithesis of what one typically expects when ordering chicken kabobs -- dry chunks of overcooked white meat. These kabobs are at the other end of the spectrum and even rival Khan BBQ's (deservedly) vaunted Chicken Boti for trump-card deliciousness.

Last night, for the first time, we BYO'd, and we weren't alone. Several tables had bottles of wine atop them. We brought a large-format bottle of Tripel Karmeliet, which paired especially well with the food. A very reasonable $3 corkage fee was charged.

Kabul House is a GNR. It has also garnered almost nothing but praise here. Many non-foodies to whom I've recommended it have reported back to me how much they enjoyed it. And still, it may be underrated. IMO, it's not just good if you're in the area, it's a genuine destination that should not be misssed.

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

I can second Ronnie's comments. I work down the street from Kabul House & am heartened that finally, after many, many years, there is a 'destination' restaurant in downtown Skokie. Hopefully Kabul House will be an integral part of the major redevelopment for the area--starting with the new Skokie Swift stop at Oakton--that will span at least 10 years. I have heard that the ethnic restaurants that have popped up over the last few years were able to garner some favorable tax/rent situations from the village to fill space at the time, and kudos to the village board for that. I just hope that the international ethnic flavor (Italian, Afghani, Thai, Jamaican) continues as the landscape changes & rents climb. But I would think the economy has to improve a bit first for that to happen!

I absolutely cannot get enough of this place. I work in Evanston so we go here for group lunches, we've now done so twice and I will lobby every chance I get. Everything here is on point: the food, the dining area, the service, the price - it's all wonderful. I only hope that they are doing enough business to stay open, both times when we've been it's been emptyish. This is good for us since it's easy to get a table, but I hope they can survive. Maybe we've just been going before the rush.

The recent flurry of posts got me reminiscing. Kabul House actually opened as the side-room of a pizza joint on Main St., Evanston. And I hope Abdul Qazi won't hold it against me when I say the pizza wasn't anything special. After all, he clearly had other, more important ideas that were distracting him from any effort to master the New York slice. At some point, I realized the side-room had been rehabbed, and there was, of all things, an Afghan menu being served in this odd, well-kept offshoot of the somewhat dingy Pizzeria La Rosa. I went in dubiously, entering through the pizzeria as one had to, tried the kadu, and I've been devoted ever since.

Aside from home, there have only been two places I ever ate dinner more than once a week. The college cafeteria wasn't great, but it was pre-paid and I couldn't afford anything else. Kabul House I gladly paid for over and over. Week after week, my New Yorker would come, and I'd go sit at Kabul House and read it over Qabuli Palau, not really caring whether anyone considered me a geek for dining alone. Regularly, I'd watch as passers-by looked in at me through the locked front door of the portion of the building that Kabul House occupied, then scanned the menu, and finally wandered over to the Pizzeria entrance, which remained the only entrance right up till the move to Skokie. The potential diners would often look askance at the pizzeria and then head to the Lucky Platter after all. A fine place, the L. P., but these people were passing up a taste of actual heaven for a little bite of West Virginia.

The move to Dempster had horribly unlucky timing - they actually closed down the Evanston location the week of 9/11, initially without a sign saying what had happened, and I spent a few worried days wondering whether some misguided anti-Afghan incident had driven them out. i was tremendously relieved when I realized they were simply moving. In fact, I think sympathy for Afghans in the wake of 9/11 may have actually helped them gain a following in Skokie, because many of us wanted to show that we didn't share whatever anger at Afghans some people were expressing at the time.

But anyway, I hadn't thought about that pizzeria side-room in a while. One of the more unlikely locations for such a great restaurant to start out. I can't really think of another restaurant that began as an exotic, luscious afterthought to such banal fare. From tiny acorns, mighty oak trees grow.

Kabul House came through in a major way a couple of weeks back, when we had some out-of-town visitors at our office who (very generously) insisted on buying carry-out lunch for our entire group. With no advance notice, at the peak of lunch hour, we ordered for 16 people and were told the order would be ready in 40 minutes. When we showed up at the appointed time, the order was ready. The total was about $150, which seemed incredibly reasonable given the amount of food and hungry eaters we had.

The food was immaculate and could not have been prepared any better. I personally unpacked the order and every skewer was piping hot. Everything I ate -- including murgh, koubideh, aushak and mantoo -- was as delicious as ever. They even gave us an enormous container of the green chutney, which I only casually mentioned when I called. Not a single item was missing from our order or misprepared in any way. It was as perfect an experience as there could be.

Even our somewhat xenophobic guests were impressed by the food. When they offered to buy lunch, I think they envisioned something a bit more "Amur'can," but they really enjoyed it and I think the team at Kabul House enlightened them more than a little bit.

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

Four of us, including my spice-averse uncle, had another excellent dinner at Kabul House last night. The aushak and mantoo were gobbled up. I had the braised lamb stew over spinach with their marvelous spiced rice with carrot shreds and raisins. The spinach is wonderfully sour and deeply flavored, and the lamb is tender yet retains that lamb-y taste I love. My dear uncle even enjoyed his lentil soup and lamb kabobs.

We were there as twilight fell, and there were several Afghan parties there to break their Ramadan fasts. In the corner behind us, several men laid out a white sheet and got down to pray. The waiter apologized if the small prayer session disturbed us—which it certainly did not—and we assured him that we were glad that people could pray and then eat. Even though we live just off Devon, this is the first time I have seen public prayer like this in a restaurant. Seeing the praying Muslims reminded me of, years ago, showing my in-laws-to-be where Cabbagehead and I were to be married—Bond Chapel at the University of Chicago. We walked in on a Friday to find about a dozen kneeling men on the floor with their heads bowed to the floor. I think the in-laws were a bit taken aback; the chapel was rather more ecumenical than they had expected.

i just returned from a leisurely lunch at kabul house- my first at this location. the place was empty when we arrived, about 1pm, and there were 3 other tables of customers when we left. i hope this isn't a typical saturday afternoon crowd. the meal was impressive all around, starting with my iced cardomom black tea. cookie monster, pielady and i shared 2 orders of the addictive pumpkin appetizer(kadu), and the delicate, crispy bulanee( grease free flat triangular shaped bread, filled with leeks,scallions and potatoes). i had the quorma sabzee(lamb and spinach) with seasoned rice, and had enough left over for dinner. the staff was gracious, the room was very attractive. all in all, it was exactly what i hoped for. justjoan

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"the only things money can't buy are true love and homegrown tomatoes" (guy clark)

It is during Ramadan, for sure.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Isn't Ramadan over? I'm pretty sure it ended earlier this week.

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

It is? I knew it was ending soon. That means a Kabul House lunch is in my near future!

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Steve,

You are a glass half-full kind of guy.

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

We made a return visit to Kabul House last night with friends, and if you can believe it, they are actually improving!

Usually I go with my wife, and we just get a pair of main courses, but last night we got to work through more of the appetizers, and they were simply fantastic! Aushak and mantoo (respectively, a variation on ravioli, stuffed with scallion and leek, and a steamed dumpling filled with onion, ground beef, and spices) were tender, well seasoned, and just plain good!

I went for one of my favorites, the sabzee (spinich), which was as well seasoned as corresponding Indian spinach dishs, only better! We tried the kabob sampler (chicken, lamb and koubideh) and loved everything, and best of all was qabili palau, wonderfully marinated and braised lamb served in the seasoned basmati rice, featuring raisins and carrots. I had tried this braised lamb when Kabul House first reopened in Skokie, and thought it OK, but last night it was absolutely perfect: tender, juicy lamb with wonderful seasonings. And best of all, we managed this meal for less than $22 a person, tax and tip included!!!

I was one of many who a) was thrilled when Kabul House returned to Skokie, b) wrote in favor of its GNR nomination, and c) don't get to visit them nearly as often as I should. But after last night's meal, they are in my regular rotation! And I need to remember to bring a bottle or two of my favorite Lebanese wine (Chateau Musar), as they remain BYOB.

I cannot recommend Kabul House enough, as a truly great value restaurant!

Tonight we got a chance to visit Kabul House Express on Devon (three days before we move...). The quality is just as high as the full-service restaurant, though the menu is much smaller, obviously. There are just three entrees - mantoo, veggie korma, and palau - a few sandwiches, some kebab plates, bolani, and a couple of soups. When we expressed sadness about the lack of kadu on the menu, they offered us some that had been made up for a catering job earlier in the day. And there was much rejoicing. The mantoo was definitely the standout; we actually had a little bit of a rumble over it. I won

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As a mattra-fact, Pie Face, you are beginning to look almost human. - Barbara Bennett

I'm aware that Suzy and some others on the board avoid gluten. Has anyone asked about whether the vegetarian items on the menu are in fact gluten-free?

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Man : I can't understand how a poet like you can eat that stuff.
T. S. Eliot: Ah, but you're not a poet.

Kabul House just keeps chugging along. It's a regular in our carry-out lunch rotation at work but last week I met a friend and ate there, which I don't normally do. She'd never been there before, and really loved it. Of course, what's not to love? We shared an order of mantoo and a couple of lunch specials . . .


Mantoo



Vegetarian Plate
Cauliflower, eggplant, spinach and baby pumpkin (clockwise from bottom)



Murgh Kabob
I just cannot get enough of this juicy chicken thigh meat.

Kabul House is a great value. The lunch specials are $7.50 each and include bread and soup (not pictured). Service was great and the folks who run the place could not be friendlier. I feel very fortunate to have it just minutes away from my office.

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

The Small Household Food Exchange had a full table last night at Kabul House. This was my first time at the restaurant. In the group situations such as last night, I'm content to have the ordering done for me and enjoy the spoils as they are brought to the table. Last night was no different. We had a good assortment of vegetarian and meat dishes, which have been described and photographed in earlier posts. There was nothing that passed by that wasn't delicious. I particularly appreciated the robustness of the vegetarian options with the pumpkin and the cauliflower tying for my favorite. The chicken and lamb kebobs were moist and flavorful. One of the desserts, the honey cake, was a perfect finish. For a Tuesday night, they seemed to be hopping. I regret that it had taken me so long to try Kabul House. I look forward to visiting again soon.

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-Mary

My first visit was tonight. Yes, great eats. Some flavor combos I've never had. I will for sure repeat. Just two negatives and it is strictly a couple of pet peeves because the service was very good and the waiter was both helpful and friendly. First, I know it's not fine dining but it is a nice place so when they remove a course I hate when restaurants put your dirty silverware back on the table to reuse. Second, we had leftovers and the waiter handed us a to go box and I had to put the leftovers in myself. Both things are just big turnoffs for me and are so easily remedied so if you guys are reading this just give us clean silverware and box our leftovers for us, please!!! But again, I really enjoyed it and once again another winner for this wonderful forum.

Funny--I hate when restaurants insist on boxing up my leftovers--I much prefer to be able to organize things myself (especially if all the food isn't going to the same place) and then I know it's been handled as little as possible...to each their own.

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“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” Elizabeth Taylor

Boudreau--come to think of it, I prefer it that way too. At a restaurant a couple weeks ago, I had order broiled shrimp-in-the-shell, ate half of 'em, asked for a doggy bag, and found out when I got home that my discarded shrimp shells were included! He must have thought I was making shrimp stock!

I agree with jnm123 and Boudreaulicious that I prefer to box my own leftovers. Thru the years I've had sad experiences such as getting someone else's meal or having something left out.

The worst was years ago, when we went to Morton's Steakhouse in Highland Park shortly before it closed. We had some leftover steak and asked to take it home. The box contained the sides, but no steak! When I called to complain the manager was rude. No wonder they were closing.

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Where there’s smoke, there may be salmon.

For those that are frustrated at the static state of the Kabul House menu, they have recently added a seasonal menu of a few new items.