Lahori Kabob

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Obscurity/Location/Curb Appeal: Mark

In the upscale fine dining realm, establishments have a way of opening the door for you and drawing you inside. This approach soothes your soul and opens you senses, only to then reach inside you back pocket and dump all you money into their register. Lahori Kabob has a different approach. The welcome at L K is similar to a bullhorn except no noise. Instead they have small scattered signs throughout Falls Church. And, no Lahori Kabob is not a candidate running for governor.

Nevertheless, we too were drawn in by the knee high sign propped against the strip mall pillar, announcing the grand opening specials. Regarding aesthetics, the strip mall was a dull grey weathered by the hair product fumes emanating from the empty, yet still open, Vietnamese hair salon. Also, if you are looking for some eye candy to accompany your meal, then look no further than the “Fast and Furiousish” whips, which still have the primer coat and mismatching quarter panels, lining the parking lot.

Rating: 1.5 Thurbs

Food & Beverage: Brian

Many of our readers stop me on the street and ask, “Brian, how do the Thurber boys decide which restaurant to grace with their presence each week?”  Our publicist often responds, “Game Time Decision.”  Truth be told, our band of brothers + guest haven’t the faintest idea of where we will dine until just before leaving the house.  Although we operate off a highly selective list of potentials, our system of “chance” ensures excitement for all parties involved.

With that in mind, I initially agreed to this week’s location, Lahori Kabob, without reservations.  However, my eyes ran roughshod over the exterior of the restaurant upon arrival as fears of strange aromas and foreign flavors filled my imagination.  Acting in good faith, we ventured inside to fine a clean, spacious dining room with a grinning host delighted to see our faces.  Our party perused a menu of classic Pakistani foods, including the option of an all-you-can-eat buffet.  Tommy and I settled on the chicken kabob, Mark tried the lamb kabob, while Scott and Matt both enjoyed the buffet.  Much to my surprise, our entrees came with a choice of two sides and a salad.  With the exception of Mark’s rather gamey lamb, the group thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of our meal.  The chicken kabob was tender and well-seasoned.  As I sampled the side dishes, my taste buds awoke to a veritable flavor bonanza at the first bite of chickpeas.  Tommy also commented on the delicious mixed vegetables despite their lack of aesthetic appeal.  As for beverages, most of us drank water while Scott decided XXX Vitamin Water would be the perfect companion to Middle Eastern fare.

There was no dessert to be eaten at Lahori Kabob, but we did enjoy an after-dinner treat of a different nature.  If you’re in the Graham Road area, do stop by Lahori Kabob and enjoy a true taste of Pakistan no matter your palate predispositions.  I’ll be checking into delivery options this week.

Rating: 3 Thurbs 

Service/Cost: Tommy

Upon entering Lahori Kabob, the first thing that you notice is that there is not a large staff working the restaurant. Rather, the owner has decided that because of the recession (or just his own business model) the best way to help people is to help them help themselves (to food from the buffet at the front). Food is prepared at back and then delivered to the counter, something that we didn’t realize and were subsequently informed of after finding out our meals were sitting up at the counter waiting for us. The apparent owner or #1 on that particular night directed customer traffic, made jokes, and also DJ’d mid-90’s hits and bass-heavy rap, back to back. All of the staff was very friendly and informed us that all entrees were 25% off on that night (and judging from the fact that the “deal” was printed on the menu, it happens often).

Most of us got either a type of meat kabob (chicken/lamb) or the buffet. All entries were around $6.25 and drinks for a very reasonable $1.50 or so. The only thing I would fault them for is not having a soda fountain and instead forcing people to buy bottles or cans of beverages. If this were Michigan and you could get a deposit back from recycled bottles and cans, I could understand doing this ($0.10 please!), but since this is not Michigan (this is Falls Church, VA, in case you didn’t see the title of the blog) the cans of Coke and Sprite were more of a hassle than they were worth. Overall, friendly staff, very inexpensive food, and quick service made Lahori Kabob worth a return visit.

Rating: 3.5 Thurbs 

Ambiance/Entertainment: Matt

From talking to the guy who seemed to be in charge of the place, we discovered that Lahori Kabob had its “grand” opening just a little over a month and a half ago.  I guess that would explain why it feels like you’re walking into a 30-year-old guy’s apartment when step inside the restaurant.  Exhibit A: directly next to the front door you will find two portable phones, just like the kind my mom uses, sitting out in the open on a magazine stand and proudly showing off all of their wires and cords.  Exhibit B: in the far corner you can see some kind of makeshift office area with an enormous printer, several computer boxes and a stack of other business essentials stored right next to a guy eating his kabob.  Exhibit C: the owner was using his laptop right in the middle of the dining area the entire time we were there, probably to check his Myspace page.  Exhibits D, E, F and G: a sparse collection of random decorations (paper lantern, numerous strands of blue and red rope lights, weird wicker statue thing) that were most likely bought at Target on the discount rack as well as a handy do-it-yourself water cooler (note the Happy Birthday placemats underneath the stacks of Styrofoam cups).  And yet somehow, even with this half-settled apartment vibe, I felt genuinely welcomed and excited to be there.

Throughout our visit, Lahori Kabob had a fairly steady stream of people coming and going, and I can only assume that this would continue until their absurdly late closing time of 4 AM.  Aside from the good food, good deals and good people who work there, this growing “popularity” is partly due to the fact that Lahori Kabob offers a plethora entertainment options to go along with your dining experience.  On one of the two flat screen TVs, you can watch Middle Eastern music videos on M Arabia TV.  But those videos must stay on mute, as Lahori pumps in additional jams via satellite radio.  For the first half of our visit, they must have had their radio tuned to the “90’s Middle School Dance” channel, as we enjoyed the musical stylings of Bryan Adams, Richard Marx, Celine Dion, Backstreet Boys and others.  If the stunning décor, smooth grooves and muted foreign MTV isn’t enough for you, there is also the ubiquitous Middle Eastern leisure activity of hookah (or shisha, if you really know what you’re talking about) offered with an abundance of exotic and even mysterious flavor options.  In summary, this place is awesome.

Rating: 3 Thurbs

Lahori Kabob

Overall Rating: 2.75 Thurbs

Guest of Honor Review: Scott Buckhout

It’s pretty clear at this point that word has spread far and wide in the un-established restaurant community in Falls Church about the Thurber boys and their blog. I’m sure that if you were to dine out on a Monday evening at one of the many fine dining establishments scattered along Lee Highway (and especially if you take digital pictures of the décor and your food), you would find a staff eager and willing to make your dining experience truly memorable, on the off chance that you would blog about your experience.

This was clearly the case at Lahori Kabob, and as a result, I can only say sarcastically good things. Beyond the excellent prices (25% off all entrees!), the excellent food (except the “salad” – lettuce with no dressing), the excellent hours (open till 4 AM!), and the sincerely excellent company and conversation, one staff member defines all that is good about Lahori Kabob: a well groomed, sweater-vest wearing young man, who greeted us at the door and kindly directed us to the cash register to place our order. Then for the next two hours, he and the Microsoft Media Player playlist on his laptop took us on a magical journey through every song I slow danced to in high school.  “When You Say Nothing At All” “I Will Always Love You” “What A Wonderful World” Back-to- back- to back? Boo ya! You better believe it. Pure magic.

I have a feeling that Lahori Kabob might become the next (and by “next” ignore the assumption that there had to be one before this) post-party hang out spot in Falls Church. After the next Thurber-themed party, I won’t be “in the hotel lobby” (that song was also played) I’ll be at Lahori Kabob with some good chick peas, good friends, and a great DJ.