THE BEST: Afghan

[mascarpone]

Where do you go for the best Loya jirga buffet?

Do particular restaurants vary (Pashtun, Uzbek, Tajik, Hazara, Aimak accented quisine)?

Here is a list:

Afghan Restaurant (212) 473-0989; 34 Saint Marks Pl, New York, NY

Ariana Afghan Kebab House (212) 262-2323; 787 9th Ave, New York, NY; www.afghana.com

Afghan Kebab House (212) 307-1612; 764 9th Ave, New York, NY

Bamiyan Afghani Restaurant 212-481-3232 Fax: 212-481-5507

358 Third Ave. (at 26th St) New York, NY 10016...

www.bamiyan.com/

Kabul Cafe (212) 757-2037; 265 W 54th St, New York, NY

Speengar Shish Kebab House (718) 426-8850; 4009 69th St, Woodside, NY

Pakistan Tea House (212) 240-9800; 176 Church St, New York, NY

Pamir Afghanistan Cuisine (212) 734-3791, 1437 2nd Avenue, NY

Afghan Kebab House (212) 280-3500; 2680 Broadway, New York, NY

Afghanistan Kebab House (212) 768-3875; 155 W 46th St, New York, NY

Edited February 4, 2006 by mascarpone (log)

[Pan]

I've liked Ariana for a long time (but have them hold the dressing on the salad and use the green hot sauce that's on the table). I don't know if there's a better Afghan restaurant within city limits, though. There might or might not be one in Manhattan but there probably is at least one better one in Queens.

I've never had a buffet in an Afghan restaurant. A Loya Jirga is a traditional Pashtun meeting of the elders.

From Wikipedia:

The word is from the Pashto language -- loya means "great" or "grand" and jirga means "council", "assembly" or "meeting" (originally of Turkic origin, meaning "tent").

The attendees of loya jirga variously include tribal or regional leaders, political, military and religious figures, royalty, government officials, etc. The meetings are called irregularly, often by the ruler.

I'm guessing they don't have those in New York, so is a "Loya Jirga buffet" a feast of dishes that were traditionally served at such meetings?

[mascarpone]

Beats me . . . I was just being glib.

It might work for an Afghan restaurant that has a seperate banquet/group/event room and menu (like at some Korean and Chinese restaurants), to call it the Loya Jirga Room or Loya Jirga Banquet Menu.

[Then again . . . ]

[waves2ya]

The Half Spiced Chicken at...

Afghan Kebab House (212) 307-1612; 764 9th Ave, New York, NY

... is unbelievable - a real treat. I've had other Afghan, Pamir's 'bolandee ghandanda' (sp?) is perfect but all things considered...

That chicken is a work of art.

Can ya imagine how many guys (a la Vietnam) will come back from the region with a hankering for lamb...?

[lambretta76]

I've had some good food (I honestly don't remember much save for the pomegranate chicken, which was very good) at Bahar on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn. I believe this is a chain with a Woodside location as well as perhaps one or two more in the area.

Edited February 4, 2006 by lambretta76 (log)

[mascarpone]

I wonder if both of these restaurants serve a "pan-Afghan" quisine, or if they feature any specialties of a subculture or ethnic group of Afganistan (as mentioned in my initial post in this thread).

Afganistan is, after all, a crossroads of Asia. Although labeled as Central Asia, it comprises a polyglot of ethnic factions, and from what I have surmised by the recent conflict in the region, particularly disparate factions at that. So what I am interested in knowing is whether what is being served in Afghan restaurants is actually cuisine typical of Pashtun, Tajik, or one of the other groups. Or perhaps it is an Americanized mutation. . .

Perhaps this discussion belongs on another thread (Silk Road). . .

[megc]

Balkh Shish Kabab in Astoria is pretty good. Great dumplings and I love the rice with the carrots and raisins in it, with the spicy green sauce and yoghurt sauce added. Great kababs, too. Their food is from the Balkh region of Afghanistan, hence the name.

[Pan]

I'd surmise that restaurants with "Kabul" in their name are concentrating on Kabuli cuisine, which would presumably be most influenced by the Pashtuns who constitute the majority in the region but, like most capital cities' cuisines, would also reflect various other influences from within and outside the country. The other Afghan restaurants I've been to don't strike me as highly dissimilar in their offerings from the Kabul Cafe, so I'm guessing that most of the Afghan refugees and immigrants who made it to this country are Pashtuns, and that most of the Afghan restaurants are serving primarily Pashtun food. If I'm right, Balkh Shish Kebab would be an exception. Balkh the hometown of Ibn Sina (Avicenna) is a northern Afghan town, and also a province known in ancient times as Bactria, whose capital is Mazar-e-Sharif. Turkic peoples (Tajiks and Uzbeks) predominate in that area.

[mascarpone]

I went to Ariana Afghan Kebab House [(212) 262-2323; 787 9th Ave, New York, NY; www.afghana.com] for dinner and had a delightful Aush Soup and Bamiya Chalow, which consisted of chopped okra and pieces of lamb over rice with salad.

The whole meal came to $24 including tip. I drank NYC tap water.

I asked the waiter if the cuisine at Ariana hailed from any particular region or ethnic group. His reply was that it was typical modern Farsi cuisine found in Kabul. He also added that in Kabul, modern cooks use less oil in their cooking.

Ariana is not a fancy restaurant by any means. Space is extremely limited. I think it is currently on the site of the former Lemon Tree cafe (Lebanese accented/middle eastern quisine) that I used to go to frequently in the early '90's.

[Pan]

[...]Ariana is not a fancy restaurant by any means. Space is extremely limited. I think it is currently on the site of the former Lemon Tree cafe (Lebanese accented/middle eastern quisine) that I used to go to frequently in the early '90's.

←

Unless I'm very much mistaken, I seem to remember having gone to Ariana since the early or mid 80s, at the current location. I've certainly gone there a long time.

[raji]

I went to Ariana Afghan Kebab House [(212) 262-2323; 787 9th Ave, New York, NY; www.afghana.com] for dinner and had a delightful Aush Soup and Bamiya Chalow, which consisted of chopped okra and pieces of lamb over rice with salad.

The whole meal came to $24 including tip. I drank NYC tap water.

I asked the waiter if the cuisine at Ariana hailed from any particular region or ethnic group. His reply was that it was typical modern Farsi cuisine found in Kabul. He also added that in Kabul, modern cooks use less oil in their cooking.

Ariana is not a fancy restaurant by any means. Space is extremely limited. I think it is currently on the site of the former Lemon Tree cafe (Lebanese accented/middle eastern quisine) that I used to go to frequently in the early '90's.

←

I get delivery dinner food from this place all the time and it is stunningly delicious (for delivery food) every single time. It must be very good to eat there. I was a fan of Khyber Pass in the past, is that place still good?

Afghani bread rocks my world....and those dumplings covered in yogurt sauce...