Naan & Kabab

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

The four of us were looking for a late dinner (today, 5/22/09) and stumbled across this restaurant--Naan and Kabab--that offered takeout service. We were hopeful because we are fans of Mediterranean food and other places in Reno serving this cuisine were never open or just plain awful. We found another restaurant to add to the bad pile. Perhaps we shouldve run in the other direction instead of ordering when the person answering the phone didnt seem to know what was on the website menu. The prices on the printed menu are also higher than those on the website, which is numbered differently than the one in the restaurant. In short: - Appetizer - Dolmades (2 orders, $4.50/ea.): They melted in your mouth and not in a good way. The grape leaves were not thoroughly rinsed and the rice was soggy, as if they assembled each piece before leaving it to soak in a mixture of the flavors that was supposed to taste like. If we didnt know better, it the leaves themselves tasted as if they were beginning to turn. - Appetizer - Hummus ($4.50/ea.): The hummus was servicable, but barely so. The pita bread that it came with was severely burned. - Sandwich - Gyro ($6.95/ea.): Served with dry, cubed beef. The tzatziki sauce tasted like it was dill and sour cream whipped together. - Entree - Gyro plates (2 orders, $9.50/ea.): Both served with dry, cubed beef--neither sliced nor marinated as indicated on the menu--which is oddly the only meat choice on the menu. We were told that it came with wraps, but we couldnt find them. When we called the restaurant to ask about them, we were told that we were given "extra" pita bread--the same bread that was burned up and served with the hummus. The "extra" pieces were barely more than what normally came with the hummus based on the conversation we had with the person taking our order before we picked it up. Essentially, the $10 "plate" is 70% "house special" salad, 15% rice, and 15% meat. For my eating pleasure, in particular, the butt of a head of lettuce was included in my salad. - Entree - Kabab Koobedeh: All koobedeh, no kabab. The meat was excessively dry and came without the sauce that it desperately needed. The vegetables tasted as if theyd begun to rot before they were cooked. - Desserts - Baklava (3 orders, $2.50/ea.): The three pieces of baklava were drowned in a honey" sauce that tasted like bad maple syrup in addition to causing an itchy burning sensation on whatever body surface the dessert touched. It is a rich dessert and some greasiness is expected, but they looked like slimy slabs of previously shrinkwrapped disaster marinating in their own oily juices from outside the outer limits what would still be considered "fresh" food. Or food at all. Cons: All of the meat in our order tasted like it had been drying for a long time, like it sat on a table and was reheated or had been taking up space in an oven for two hours before our order was placed. None of the three entrees we ordered came with the charbroiled vegetables described in the menu. As Im writing this, the four of us are now suffering from stomach trouble after eating from this establishment. We feel this confirms our suspicions that the food was turning when it was cooked. Pro: The only good that came out of this meal was the rice and the fact that the plastic bags the to-go boxes came in could be used for trash or sick sacks. Bottom line: For what we received, the food is grossly over-priced for such poor quality and questionable safety.

NA

Naan & Kabab, Etc.

From the Reno Gazette Journal: 2 for $20: Its a wrap (and more) at Naan & Kabab by Bill ODriscoll THE PLACE: Naan and Kabab lies in the shadow of the Peppermill on South Virginia Street, sharing a parking lot with Ruby River Steakhouse. With a menu described as "Mediterranean fusion," the restaurants culinary footprint stretches from Spain to Iran. Naan and Kabab, opened by well-traveled chef Maurice Afraimi, celebrated its sixth year in operation on Valentines Day. THE LOOK: The unassuming exterior says "former Pizza Hut" and little else, but the interior is fairly well-appointed. The décor, much like the menu, draws from throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East in its tilework, curtains and wall hangings (and, of course, the original brick walls from its Pizza Hut days.) Naan and Kabab manages to squeeze in quite a few tables into a rather small space without feeling claustrophobic. The restaurant isnt quite halfway full when my wife and I walk in near the end of the lunch rush. THE MEAL: This is the first trip to Naan and Kabab for us. Though the menu includes everything from wild Alaskan halibut and steak to prawn kababs and falafel wraps, we stay true to the 2 for $20 budget and go with the less-than-$10 lunch specials. My wife orders the beef koobedeh sandwich (koobedeh is minced meat mixed with egg and spices). The koobedeh comes wrapped in a grilled — but still soft — pita garnished with lettuce, onions and tomatoes, with a generous serving of tzatziki sauce on the side. My wife give the koobedeh a big thumbs up, with the exception of the too-large onion chunks included in the wrap. I choose the 10-ounce Mediterranean burger made from a 50-50 mix of beef and lamb. Its served on an onion roll and topped with lettuce, cucumber slices and tzatziki. The burger is spicy (but not too spicy) and comes paired with warm, crunchy falafel. Both meals also are served with a salad of lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber and kalamata olives. Last, but certainly not least, both meals also include the Awesome Dude dessert — ice cream topped with baklava. If you want to play "whats this ice cream flavor?" with this delicious dessert, as my wife and I do, skip ahead to the next paragraph. If youre still with me, its saffron-vanilla ice cream with pistachios and rose water. That isnt on our list of guesses. KUDOS: Service is quick. We spend almost no time waiting to be seated or to have our order taken. Our waiter helpfully recommends the apple lemonade (pretty tasty), though his token effort to pitch us on the house salad over the dessert falls on deaf ears. Even though we order perhaps the best bargain on the entire menu, the meal presentation is still top-notch. QUIBBLES: Huge chunks of onion in the salad and in the wrap, as I note above. I like onions, but it can be tough to go all-or-nothing on any given bite. ALTERNATIVES: If you find yourself unconstrained by a $10-per-meal price ceiling, Naan and Kabab offers a diverse range of entrées. I plan to return for the diablo prawns in chipotle tomato sauce; other choices include rack of lamb and prawn kababs. WHATS $10 OR LESS: At $9.95, lunch special include falafel and koobedeh sandwiches, vegetable pasta, a veggie combination that includes falafel and hummus, a Mediterranean burger and a soup and salad combo. All lunch specials include naan and either a house salad or the Awesome Dude dessert. (Go for the Awesome Dude dessert.) Other options less than $10 include other falafel and koobedeh entrées.

A

A Private User

Excellent, excellent food and service. Will definitely be a regular place to take friends for something out of the ordinary. I was recommended this place by a friend so decided to stop in while running errands. It was far above what I expected. It doesnt look like much from the outside, but you step inside and it has very nice ambiance. The wait staff is incredibly personable and definitely helpful in suggesting where to get started. The mid-day special is an incredible value with the fresh naan, delicious balsamic viniagrette salad (the balsamic vinegar that they use has amazing flavor), one of many entrees to choose from, and an "Awesome Dude" dessert to follow up. The "Awesome Dude" is a pistachio saffron ice cream with a hint of rose water, topped with crumbled baklava. In a word AMAZING. Chef Maurice was personable enough to come out to our table and introduce himself and see how we enjoyed the food. A definite plus in my book when the head chef comes out to visit their customers... As for some of the other reviews - yes there were white people working in there...this is RENO. Not a lot of options, but the head chef is Chef Maurice Afraimi who is middle eastern and oversees everything that is done there. Also - I know that Im not middle eastern, but one of my dear Persian friends has often made the comment that the one thing she misses most from Iran is the kababs - so while Im sure there are MANY different dishes served throughout the mediterranean - this place specializes in kabob. Also - every last Monday of the month Chef Maurice offers a free (with the purchase of an entree) cooking demonstration showing you how to prepare your own mediterranean cuisine. Not nearly enough restaurants are this welcoming to their patrons and serve amazing food on top of it. I got the kabab koubedeh sandwich and enjoyed it very much, but am looking forward to trying out some new things next time. I also got some baba ganoush to take home. DELISH!