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The mix of New Mexican and Iranian décor in and around the Kabab House, and the grilled green chile served with all entrée plates makes perfect sense to Farid Veryiyani, owner of the Kabab House.
Veryiyani, a Kurdish Iranian by birth, says the green chile here reminds him of the spicy peppers his family used in the foods he ate growing up, and the climate of Albuquerque reminds him of his birthplace.
He opened the Kabab House a few months ago with the help of his brother, chef Kayvan Varyani, and niece Chonour Varyani, the restaurant’s manager. They came to help after the construction on Lead and Coal avenues forced the closing of his earlier establishment at that location, Saffron Café. Between the two brothers, they have brought some amazing family recipes to the University area.
All the meats are brought in fresh, then seasoned and marinated; there is a different spice blend for each type of entrée. Then, the meats are skewered, grilled and served with a grilled tomato and a grilled green chile.
Entrées come with saffron rice and salad, and are all preceded by a bowl of the house soup. The soup, made daily, varies depending on the stock ingredients available. It has been delicious the half dozen times I’ve had it. Minced carrots, onions, tomatoes and rice are slow simmered and seasoned with herbs and chiles. The soup is excuse enough to eat there, and it’s free with every meal, as is wireless internet. Kabab House offers a 10 percent discount to UNM students and employees.
The entrées are all reasonably priced, but the house special is a great deal at $7.99: Two skewers of the Kabob Koobideh, either chicken or beef, or one of each. Koobideh is the name for meat that has been seasoned, ground, formed into slabs and marinated overnight.
The grilled meat is crisp at the edges, but still juicy. The meats are served on an enormous lavash, a flatbread that looks like a pita and tastes like a piece of Indian naan, with sliced onion, pickled cabbage, grilled green chile and tomato and cucumber yogurt sauce.
Meals are accompanied by a shaker of summaq, a Middle Eastern seasoning made from the sumac plant. Sumac is tart, almost lemony, and goes wonderfully with the savory flavors of the kabobs.
There are really only three meats available — chicken, beef and lamb — but each meat is served in several different ways, each with its own seasoning.
Chicken is available in the form of skewered wings, boneless thighs, breast meat or ground.
There are a number of lamb dishes, and the beef filet is tender and delicious, whether traditionally seasoned, Asian teriyaki or New Mexico style with red or green chile. Kabab House also offers a vegetarian plate with seasoned squash, peppers and mushrooms.
For a snack or an easily portable lunch, the special sandwich is handy. A single skewer of chicken or beef Koobideh or chicken breast or thigh is wrapped in a lavash with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickled vegetables. At $5.99, it is quick and cheap.
Those with an adventurous palate should try the specialty Persian dishes.
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Kabab House, at 301 Cornell Drive SE, is open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m to 2 p.m for lunch and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner; and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Veryiyani has applied for a beer and wine license, and plans to be open every day with no break between lunch and dinner in the next few months. For more information call 312-8949 or visit kababhouseabq.com.
