Smallish Middle Eastern resetaurant tucked behind Murphy Street
Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1040
Reviewed: 4/4/2007
Rating: 7
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Thanks to Mike L for suggesting House of Kabob. He told me a couple of months ago of a new middle eastern restaurant other side of Murphy street. The address states Sunnyvale avenue and you'll have to keep your eyes open to catch the restaurant front. It's located in the parking next to Gumba's Cafe.
We walked in and the owner(?) greeted us happily and quickly made some suggestions. I had intentions of getting a falafel sandwich but he convinced me with kabob combo plate (chicken and koobideh).
The combo costs $10.50 and comes with 1 kabob of chicken, 1 kabob of koobideh (seasoned beef), saffron rice, roasted tomato, and lemon wedge. If you look the pictures (images 4 and 5), it's a decent size plate.
chicken - cooked over gas grill, some charring, chicken was little overdone but still tasty.
koobideh - average size, although juicy it was missing the 'wow' factor that you would get at Chelokababi. The seasoned beef was 2x better than the chicken. Respectable and rates around 7.5.
saffron rice - gold and yellow basmati rice, with a generous drenching of butter. Parts were moist but I landed a section of rice that had been sitting on the bottom of the pan. It looked like a rice nugget. Easy mistake to do and forgivable.
House of Kabob is a decent spot to visit. My meal tops a little over $11 but there are many sandwich options in the $6 range. I got a chance to try a piece of Terry's falafels and they were terrible. It's like they fried up the falafel in the morning, when it came time to serve them during lunch, they probably nuked them. That's a definite no-no in my book. I'd skip falafels based on that taste test. The kabobs were good and service an enjoyment, I'd come back.
Reviewer: Terry
Total Reviews: 739
Reviewed: 4/4/2007
Rating: 7
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House of Kabob is a brand new place (probably 3 months old) that is a bit tricky to find if you are using the address. Basically, its at the back parking lot of Murphy Street.
We arrive and the place is pretty empty. Not surprising with a new place. The owner/man behind the register is very friendly and helpful in assisting us with the menu. I was going to go with the veggie kabob and he kind of looked disappointed and suggested the Veggie combo instead. I didn't mind, it sounded good (falafels, hummus, salad, dolma). Price was about average for the dish ($8). We order and sit down.
The wait was not very long. My dish arrived first and looked loaded up with goodies. The bread supplied was more of a flatbread than a pita. Didn't bother me, as its still good stuff. Everything else looked by the numbers.
I dug into the hummus first. It was solid. This is just how I like it. A bit lemony, more thick than greasy, and flavorful. Next up was a sampling of the Dolmas. They were good, a bit above average. More juicy than dry. It helped that the red sauce was on top and soaked in. I don't know what it was, but it was good. Very greasy though. The salad tasted fresh, but was ultimately forgettable. I would have preferred some tabbouleh instead. The big !!! letdown was the falafels. They tasted completely microwaved. gushy soft instead of freshly fried hard-on-the-outside, soft on the inside. The flavor was severely lacking and I forced myself to finish them. They were not something I would order again and really ruined the dish for me.
The place had a decent feel to it, and I wouldn't mind returning to try the veggie kabob (tho the guy at the register didn't seem to recommend it?) - I just can't return for the falafels.
Reviewer: Dan
Total Reviews: 84
Reviewed: 7/17/2008
Rating: 7
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The kabobs are good but overpriced. The falafel is the worst I have ever had - spongy and ultra-greasy, it was obviously re-warmed via microwave, with zero crispiness. Yes, I know the place is called "House of Kabobs" but falafel was offered on the menu as part of the "veggie combo." If they can't make decent falafel, they should keep it off the menu!
--- Veggie combo: 3 horrific falafel balls, 3 tiny, sub-par dolmas (unevenly heated in microwave, with hot and cold spots), a dollop of decent hummus, a lackluster salad and a few squares of lavash bread sealed in a sandwich bag (no really). A complete ripoff at just under $10 incl tax. A 6.0 meal.
But this was not the only thing I tried. Here's what else I've had here on previous visits:
--- Chicken breast and koubideh combo #1: Two kabobs, (one chicken, one koubideh) plus rice and a grilled tomato. No hummus, no bread. The bi-color basmati rice was excellent and the meat was tender and tasty, though the koubideh was a tad dry. All in all, this kabob plate is pretty average when compared to other places in the area. Total cost was just over $14 with tax. Kinda pricey - This is actually more expensive than the larger and much better koubideh plate at Chelokababi, which costs $13, including tip (I had it last week). Can't give any more than 8.0 for this meal due to high price.
--- Gourmeh Sabzi. Waited a while for this, but it arrived with a healthy portion of bi-color rice. The stew itself seemed a little light on the meat. Maybe ten small meat cubes total. Not the best I've had but good enough to satisfy. Maybe a 8.0 rating for this meal.
The owner was nice enough, but he has the tendency to frown at you for some orders (who knows why). On two occasions he did walk by and ask how everything was. I lied to him during the horrible veggie platter incident when I said "uh...fine."
Pros: Clean and attractive dining room; Decent kabob and gourmeh sabzi Cons: Overpriced; horrifying falafel; Blaring TV in dining room can be annoying.
“I wish I had read Terry's review before coming here. Falafel was horrific as described. Kabobs are decent though, but overpriced.”
7/16/2008 2:34:36 PM
pmarikelly ate...
Shwarma
“Delicious!!! The chicken Shwarma plate was wonderful. This was my introduction to Middle Eastern Cuisine. The restaurant is clean, owner friendly, portions generous. Worth looking for.”
10/5/2007 8:51:24 PM
budbandit ate...
What dish did you eat?
“koobideh was tasty but somewhat small and perhaps a tad overripe. The owner was nice, atmosphere a bit fast food with paper plates and the like.”
