The compact shop provides comfortable seating and a politicized clubhouse atmosphere in which all are made welcome, and the kebabs are righteously grilled over charcoal. The hummus topped with fava beans is particularly fine, and so are the triangular spinach pies. The menu is brief and unfussy, drawing in part from Mr. Zaman’s ancestry, half-Uzbek, half-Tajik. In his hands, Afghan mantu (dumplings) are smaller-scale, almost demure cousins to hulking Uzbek manti, but still retain a touch of shagginess. Their delicate skins are loosely packed with ground beef, musky from cumin, and just barely pinched shut.
Authentic Afghan Cuisine at Sami's Kabab - Culinary Backstreets - Culinary Backstreets
Authentic Afghan Cuisine at Sami's Kabab - Culinary Backstreets.
Posted: Fri, 14 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Hummus
And our lamb kabab, however tender, would look like many other New York kababs except for the accompanying heap of Qabuli pulao, steamed rice caparisoned in raisins and julienned carrots. The sweetness of the raisins, and especially the carrots, wonderfully complements the fluffiness of the rice and juiciness of the meat. In Afghanistan, lavish versions of Qabuli pulao are prepared for celebratory occasions; in Astoria, we can celebrate whenever we like. Later in 2022 another son, Ali, opened his own small cafe a block from the kabab house. The menu has also been revamped with a menu of new cintemporary Mediterranean dishes and recipes, the staff sample the food and love it.
Sami’s Kabab House: Afghan in Astoria
Of course, great kebabs aren’t completely limited to the (818) or the Middle East and Caucasus. Thanks to the proliferation of restaurants, butcher shops, and street stands that understand how to grill, skewered meat has never been better in LA., making it tough to narrow this list down to 16 options. As previously noted, other Armenian meat markets also grill notable kebabs, but they require advance notice. Steamed dumplings stuffed with beef, onions, cilantro and spices. Topped with our homemade garlic mint yogurt sauce and garnished with lamb gravy and yellow split peas. Evolved from a well-known Palestinian food truck that opened a permanent location in 2015, King of Falafel & Shawarma offers its own spin on Levantine classics.
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He first showcased the family’s culinary traditions at Aria Meat Market in Burbank, which dates to 2013. This butcher shop used to grill kebabs, and not just sell raw proteins. This grab-and-go strip mall restaurant with a steer horn logo offers no seating, but they do grill a la carte kebabs over gas, all available for sale by the skewer.
Meat Guys
Eating here is like sitting in Ali’s living room, and you’d better be prepared to convivially interact. There’s no shortage of competition in Astoria’s Greek scene, with an estimated 20 Greek restaurants, but Taverna Kyclades stands out. The seafood-heavy menu’s stars are the grilled octopus and heaping portions of grilled fish. Expect a wait for tables in the indoor and outdoor seating areas.
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Kebabs come with mammoth servings of meat on a bed of rice pilaf. Head to this neighborhood institution before it gets bulldozed. The blue-and-white paper placements at this open-till-midnight spot won’t let customers forget that it was once voted the best diner in Queens. Still, it’s a local favorite for hefty breakfast combos, multi-level hot sandwiches, and a nostalgic banana split. Greek options also abound, with waiters in penguin-esque suits. Regulars know to grab a bag of chips and a beverage before stepping up to the counter, with cash ready and an exact order to share with the notoriously gruff staff.
Shawarma off a twirling spit roast is available in chicken or a mix of beef and lamb. Get it packed in a pita or fill up with a platter doused liberally with spicy harissa and Duzan sauces. Originally named Hallet’s Cove, this Queens neighborhood along the East River was rechristened Astoria in an attempt to get financier John Jacob Astor to invest there. Nowadays, this vast neighborhood of brick and frame houses, with the east-west avenues given over to commercial enterprises, features one of the city’s most impressive collections of restaurants.
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In addition to takeout orders and deliveries to homebound customers, Sami donated meals to a local hospital through Queens Together, a nonprofit organization that supports local restaurants and food businesses. Founded, in large part, to help feed frontline workers, Queens Together continues to provide relief to people who face food and economic insecurity. Almost before we’d sat down, tea and rice pudding had arrived at our table. We’d arranged a time to speak with him at his namesake Afghan restaurant in Astoria, Sami’s Kabab House, and we’d quickly discovered that refreshments were an essential prelude to our conversation. Thanks for stopping by, and I do truly hope this site will end up being your go-to for all things kebabs, grilling, smoking, or so many other ways of cooking.
Don’t miss the chicken in mole negro or the beef rib with mole coloradito, at this jazzy and colorful place. If the diner had been invented in Casablanca or Rabat, this is what it would look like. The breezy corner storefront is the most fun in summer, when the sides swing open and the smell of sizzling tajines wafts out onto Steinway Street, served with the traditional baguette. Also to be admired are the opulent vegetable couscouses and the grilled merguez platter, all at shockingly low prices. Boneless chicken thigh marinated with traditional Afghani spices. Tender chunks of boneless lamb marinated with traditional Afghani spices.
The family argue loudly yet again after service and the argument spills into the street outside. They try to serve raw chicken to a customer as the Chef says it is cooked on the outside so he thought it also was cooked inside. Gordon discovers mouldy food in the kitchen and in the walk in fridge he finds huge buckets of chopped parsley, bendy celery, soft cucumbers and rotten lettuce. Gordon arrives to observe a dinner service and meets Sams wife, who doesn't think the children should be working in the restaurant. Gordon calls the staff together and tells them his criticism of the food, to which the chef admits he has given up.
They arrive dressed, resting on thick yogurt with an insistent beat of garlic and strewed with more ground beef in sunset slashes of long-broken-down tomatoes and onions. This old-school mom-and-pop shop is a holdout from an era when the Balkan immigrant population was heavier in Astoria, and it has some of the best Balkan comfort foods the city has to offer. Its specialities include juicy cevapi sausages, saucy sarma stuffed cabbage, puffy lepinja bread, and a lightly sweet ajvar, a roasted red pepper and eggplant spread. Spend some time there and customers will inevitably see round trays of spinach pie cheese boureks going in and out of the oven. This cozy, brightly colored Thai restaurant has a narrow indoor area that managed to fit in a full bar, as well as a romantic back garden with a fountain and pond.
There’s an additional less-crowded location in the East Village. Topped with our homemade garlic mint yogurt sauce, garnished with our lamb gravy and yellow split peas. Chunks of boneless chicken breast marinated with traditional Afghani spices. Seasoned ground beef and lamb mixed with fresh herbs and onions. New York’s restaurants struggled, and many closed forever, during the darkest days of Covid, but Sami and his family not only persevered but have expanded the business, too.
The fragrance is punchier than the flavor, which is lulling and tentatively sweet. Although theoretically vegetarian, ashak also come strewn with ground beef. Sam also blamed the rise of competition from other restaurants in the area and a number of new Mediterranean restaurants planned to open close to their location. On relaunch night, the customers are raving about the decor and they love the new food. Sam rates his food as a 9/10 and recommends a lamb shank from New Zealand to Gordon. I was pleasantly surprised when a side salad was delivered to my table.
There’s something about specialty cooking that has always appealed to me. This LIC spot is Sami’s second location, and it's more of a takeout hub than their bustling Astoria restaurant. There are only a couple of small tables in the narrow room, but if you do eat in, you’ll get to enjoy some fresh, hot naan right out of the oven. Ashak, indistinguishable from mantu from the outside, reveal green interiors lined with Chinese leeks, the closest Mr. Zaman can find to Afghan gandana.
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