We have always had a taste for Afghan food, and when we were back in Evanston for the year, we were excited to be in close proximity to Kabul House (2424 Dempster Street, Evanston, IL ), an Afghani restaurant that had recently moved into fancier digs just over the Evanston / Skokie border. We visited Kabul House on a chilly night to celebrate a family birthday, so it was great to have a crowd to sample more of the menu. When we entered on a Saturday night, the place was abuzz with lots of large groups! Be sure to make a reservation in advance if you are going on a weekend.
Though it is reasonably priced, the restaurant’s decor is opulent, with large windows, French cafe chairs and arched doorways. The menu at Kabul House is extensive, with a large variety of appetizers, kabobs and vegetarian dishes. We were excited to see some Afghan dishes we had not heard of before in the “Authentic Dishes” sections including the Aushak – dumplings filled with scallions and leeks, topped with tomato/meat and yogurt sauces – which you can get in both appetizer and entree sizes. Other interesting dishes included Pomegranate Glazed Salmon ($17.00) and the Chicken Qorma Stew ($13.00) boneless chicken cooked with tomatoes, onions, green pepper, ginger, garlic, cilantro and herbs.
Among our party we sampled a variety of appetizers and entrees:
- Bulanee Appetizer ($9.00) Thin pastry flatbread filled with leek, scallion and spiced potato. This almost reminded us of a flat version of a burek – delicious!
- Mantoo Appetizer ($9.00) Steamed dumplings filled with spiced ground beef, shredded carrots and onions, and topped with tomato/meat and yogurt sauces.
- Chicken Kabob ($16.00) Pictured below – we loved the deep, almost tandoori-like spices on the chicken. Beef Kabob ($19.00) and Soltani Kabob Combo ($19.00) One skewer of Barg (Filet Mignon) & one skewer of Koobideh (Seasoned Ground Sirloin). All of the kebabs were delicious, and the best versions of kebabs we had seen a while, perfectly spiced.
- Kabuli Palau ($16.00) Boneless lamb served with seasoned rice and caramelized carrot strips and raisins. The sweet and savory combo worked really well, and we later learned that this is Afghanistan’s national dish.
- Vegetarian Platter ($13.00) Eggplant, spinach, baby pumpkin and cauliflower all cooked separately in spices, served with Afghan rice (basmati rice with carrots and raisins). We really liked this platter because it allowed us to try a little bit of everything, many of which were available as individual veggie appetizers. The pumpkin cooked with honey and onions, was actually our favorite of the bunch.
For dessert there was baklava, but we went for the more interesting Firnee ($5 – below), milk custard made with a hint of rosewater, topped with pistachios and fresh berries. It was deliciously creamy and reminded us of Egyptian Mohallabiah. Everything at Kabul House was delicious, and the portions were insanely generous. The traditional Afghan dishes were delightful, and we look forward for a return visit, hopefully with another big group.
Eating The World 