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Show September 25 Wednesday oF 1996 Interest The Forum This Ain't Your Grandma's Afghan by Jared C. Barnard Forum staff writer Food is my hobby. I love food; especially foreign food. I love to try the cuisine of other cultures. So. when Omar, the owner of the Afghan restaurant Kabul House, called the Forum for a review, I was very excited. Upon arrival we Forumites were all somewhat hesitant; we were the only people in this spacious, well decorated restaurant. However, the smell from the kitchen was wonderful, Afghan music filled the air and we were immediately greeted by a veiy sincere gentleman who seated us quickly. Ve werent expecting linen tablecloths and napkins, but it was a nice and welcomed surprise. We would soon be wondering why the place wasnt packed. While browsing through the menu, everybody was lost. None of us had been there before, nor did any of us understand the menu. Even with the detailed descrip- .item . everybody $1 seemed- fixoa-.a state ot cornu-- . sion. Our kind waiter helped us out He gave us several recommendations on appetizers. We went with his suggestions: Kadoo Burani, Banjan Burani, and vim - YOU COULD WIN A TRIP TO San Francisco. Just stop by any Zions Bank office. Lets begin with whats basically a universal truth: students want a lot of stuff, maybe even a trip to San Francisco. Not only can Zions Bank get you there, but we can get you aul there in style with $200 to bldw'F ' A ,, , ' . , Bulani. is that?" 'What in the $ ask. Let me explain. The you might Kadoo first, Burani, was the Forum favorite. Its a slice of cooked pumpkin, seasoned with sugar, sauce topped with a garlic-yogu- rt beef. and ground The second, Banjan Burani, is on our recommendation fist for you eggplant lovers. It is a slice of spicea eggplant, baked with fresh tomatoes and green bell peppers, and served with a garlic-misauce. And of can't course, we forget the Bulani. This is much like a very large fried WonTon, but obviously not Chinese. One of the pan-frie- d pastries was filled with spiced potatoes, the other with leeks; both covered in yogurt-misauce. At this time Omar made his long awaited entrance and graciously welcomed us to his restaurant. He made sure that our waiter, his son, was treating us well. Next came the entrees. We all ordered our own this time, but with not much knowledge of exactly what we were eating. It went something like this; Murgh Challom Sauteed, spiced chicken and yellow split peas, cooked with yogurt, cilantro, and curry, served with white rice. Shoma Khod: Potatoes and chick peas on a bed of lettuce, served with cilantro and vinaigrette dress- whatever you please. Just, stop by any Zions Bank office to enter.' There's no obligation, but" you're there, you might as well ask about our student banking services. For starters, you can choose from a free checking account, a student Visa? check reserve for overdraft protection? an ATM card or even a student loan. Youll also got a free when you open an account and maybe win a football signed by Steve Young. But the real kicker is a weekend in San Francisco to see the 49ers play or to see a big theatrical production. We'll be looking for you soon at any Zions Bank office, T-shi- nt rt 0 Cnvlit approval required nt ing. Kuftha Challowr. Two large, spicy d meatballs, made with tomatoes, hot pepper and green sun-drie- ZIONS BANK i Member FD1C with peas in tomato sauce, served white rice. Mantu: Pastry resembling ravioli filled with beef and onion, served with yogurt sauce. d lamb, Seekh Kabab : d sun-driemarinated in a mixture of served grapes, onions and herbs, rice. white and with lentils mariMurgh Kabab : sauteed nated chicken served with Char-broile- Char-broile- d, eggplant and white rice. . Don't worry. If all of this foreign language seems overwhelming, just ask Omar to walk you through the menu. He helped us understand the names of the items, and he even helped us pronounce them. Just when we thought we could eat no more, we reluctantly decided to try desert Again we took our waiter's suggestion and tried the Baqlawa and the Sheerbering. The first was very similar to the traditional Greek baklava. A very tasty morsel. The other, Sheerbering, was a kind of rice pudding. This, too, was quite delectible. Any of these dishes are highly recommended by the Forum. The portions were very large and not one person finished , their entire meal, but we all tried very hard. The food was great and not a single person was disappointed. If you go to Kabul House you can expect to pay about $20 per person for an appetizer, entree, desert and a drink (before taxtip), which is a fair price for the amount and quality 01 food and service. Again, the menu items listed above were all very good, but you might even want to be daring and go for something different We are sure you will not be disappointed. So, from six overly-stuffe- d Foriim staff members we have to all give Kabul House thumbs-up- , the way around the table. Try it out if you get the urge for more culture in your life. Kabul House is located at 260 S. Main Street, and there is free parking for Kabul House patrons behind the restaurant Enjoy! |