July 31-August 6, 2003

food

The Latest Shish

by Elisa Ludwig

There’s a serious lunch crowd at the Sansom Kabob House which, four months ago, took over the sub-sidewalk space where the short-lived Mr. J’s used to be. The Kabob House’s overnight popularity might be testament to the lack of cheap, quality food in this neck of the woods, but also points to the cuisine’s accessibility, which we Philadelphians, enjoying our third Afghan restaurant in Center City, have taken to with enthusiasm.

Afghan food is spiced but not spicy, substantial yet not heavy and simple without requiring many condiments. At the Kabob House, all dishes come with slatted slabs of Afghan-style bread, baked fresh in a tandoor oven that is similar to its Indian counterpart. On one visit, I waited for a batch, which was invitingly warm, with its intricate design absorbing the flavors of the oven.

For appetizers, there are a number of flaky pastries filled with varying combinations of vegetables and meats and accompanied by a thin coriander chutney. Of these, the sambosa with chickpeas is particularly fine. Kadu, or roasted chunks of sweet pumpkin, are topped first with minty yogurt and then dollops of tomato ginger sauce. The same principle is applied to tender slices of eggplant in the burani, though the kadu offers more of a sweet and cool contrast of flavors.

The lunch special comes with a choice of salads, and the simple Afghan lettuce, cucumber and tomato salad with lemony dressing is refreshing. At dinnertime, the same salad comes with yogurt mint dressing.

Anything that a "house" is named after ought to be damn good, and the Kabob House does not disappoint. The eponymous entree comes with fish, chicken or beef, or in vegetarian form. Chablee kebab is ground beef balls, slightly salty but still with a nice herbed flavor. The steak kabob is actually ground beef too, and comes in long speared, seared strips that are remarkably juicy.

One of my favorite entrees is offered just for lunch: qabili palaw. This combination of lamb chunks, rice, sauteed carrots and plump raisins is worth a daytime trip. I also enjoyed the kufta chalaw, coriander-spiked ground beef balls, stewed with onions and tomatoes, and served over glistening long-grain basmati rice.

In the end, a meal at the Kabob House is usually under $10 for a formidable portion. The promise of inexpensive delights in an area where an office worker on a lunch-hour budget is ordinarily forced to contemplate Wawa's new specialty sandwiches or the Liberty Place food court is a welcome change, one that could make the rest of the workday almost tolerable.

Sansom Kabob House

1526 Sansom St., 215-751-9110

Appetizers, $2.50-$4; entrees, $5.25-$14.50

Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Sat., 1-10 p.m.

Not wheelchair accessible. Smoking is not permitted. Reservations accepted. All major credit cards.