REVIEWS ON AFGHAN PALACE CUISINE
REVIEW FROM Lets Dine Out Show
Hours:
Monday-Friday 11:30 am to 10 pm
Saturday 11 am to 10 pm
Sunday 12 noon to 8 pm
Price Range: $5.95 to 14.99
Rating: A+
Dining at Afghan Palace Cuisine, (a.k.a. Rancho Kabob) is a wonderful opportunity to take a journey into a most interesting country that is rich in culinary traditions and history without leaving the Inland Empire. As you enter, you are greeted by a lovely painting of the young woman with the striking stare that appeared on the cover of the National Geographic magazine cover. The interior features beautiful panted murals depicting famous events or artifacts of the proud nation of Afghanistan while the lighting and special decorations gives this restaurant a most dramatic and special ambiance. Afghanistan is sandwiched in between Iran, Pakistan, India and numerous Southern Russian republics so the food, as expected, is full of flavors, textures and passion.
For starters, I highly recommend the Mashawa Soup, $5.50, the Mantu $5.95 and the Eggplant Barrani $6.55. The Mashawa soup is a sensational dish made with garbanzo, kidney and lentil beans, ground beef, and fresh dill in a highly seasoned and zesty yogurt broth. Mashawa is now on my list of all time favorite soups! The Mongolian influenced Mantu are traditional seasoned ground beef filled steamed dumplings topped with a fantastic savory yogurt meat garlic sauce. The dumplings were al dante and were a perfect match for the delicious sauce. You must try this appetizer! The last appetizer I really liked was the Eggplant Barrani. This popular dish featured grilled eggplant cooked with a bold and assertive flavored tomato, garlic and bell pepper sauce topped with fresh homemade yogurt and dry mint. Just dip the warm pieces of pita bread into this mixture and experience “culinary heaven” at its best.
The menu offers many vegetarian, sandwiches and kabobs to choose from. There are seven types Kabobs to consider, but since I could not make my mind up as to what I wanted to order, I decided to sample all of them. My favorites were the Barg Filet Kabob, $14.99, tender chunks of tasty filet mignon skewered with onions, the strikingly great juicy Chicken Kabobs $11.49, the tender and delicious Lamb Kabobs, $14.49, the Ground Beef (Koobideh) Kabob $10.99 and the unique Chaplee Kabob $10.99, a zesty mixture ground beef mixture with green onions, leeks, onions, cayenne pepper and crushed pomegranate seeds grilled in a pan. The one Kabob I did not care for was the Fish Kabob whose seasonings and smell were too overwhelming for me. All Kabob dinners are served with Basmati rice, hummus, pita bread, grilled vegetables and a choice of homemade gravy. All of the meats are marinated and perfectly seasoned with lots of herbs and spices thus accounting for their extremely tender, tasty and juicy qualities.
Other dishes on the menu that thrilled my taste buds were the Zamarod Rice $3.99, a delicious blend of spinach, garlic, leeks, green onions and dill mixed with basmati rice and the Pallow Rice seasoned with sautéed onions and a special blend of crushed black & green cardamom, black pepper and cumin. Both of these dishes were really delicious!
Owner Emil Hashiman deserves a lot of credit for introducing us to this marvelous cuisine. His passion for his country, its culture, traditions and its classic cuisine are all compelling reasons why you should try Afghan Palace Cuisine. Dining here is one memorable dining experience I will never forget!