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Karahi Kabob and Sweets, Spring Garden Drive in Springfield - Now Under New Ownership, Having Nothing To Do with Ravi Kabob III


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Ravi Kabob III in Springfield is now Karahi Kabob. Same place, same menu, same clientele, same Hajj posters on the wall, but different name and different owner. I was thinking of tucking into the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet at $7.99, but I had a hankering for saltenas and headed over to El Sabor Bolivano across the street. But I will be back.

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Had a damn fine carry out at Karahi Kabob House today.

But first, a word about ownership. They are related to (cousins if the broken English was accurate and I heard it correctly) with Ravi Kabob. The same menu was left on the wall, but with "Ravi" blanked out -- e.g., the former #1 special of Ravi Kabob Special is now "(blank space) Kabob Special". I was even told the same cook was in the kitchen. The interior is the same spare lunch counter, and the restaurant is very hot and humid even on a mild day such as today. Two stand alone air conditioning units in the front do not appreciably improve the air circulation, and if ordering "to go" like I was, the good half-hour wait combined with no alcohol make this definitely a call-ahead restaurant.

The food was excellent. Girlfriend and I split Chicken Karahi and Lamb Karahi, made spicy. My taste buds are still dancing and my tummy is yelling "thank you." Big, juicy chinks of meat, the lamb on the bone and the chicken boneless, both swimming in a succulent thick sauce with ginger and spices and perfect flavor and texture. The heat still lingers pleasantly on the palate, and I hope it stays there all weekend!

There are quite a few Indo-Pak options in the general area, and this one is certainly as good an option as any of them.

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I had Karahi take out last night. First time there and I will definitely be back. Ordered the Chicken Kabobs and it comes with two sides, and bread for $10. I must say, the chicken was delicious and it was not overcooked at all. Great flavor, and very tender. I will be back for more!

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Karahi Kabob House has added "and Sweets" to its moniker, for what it's worth. However, the sweets case is a bit spartan, but I'm sure they have good intentions.

Tonight, it was my third stop on my Spring Garden Drive progressive pigfest meal, starting with the Seafood Pancake at Kang Chon, moving to the Pork Liver Salad at Thai Ghang Waan, and ending up with carry out at Karahi. I ordered the King Kabob Combo (chicken and lamb, with rice and a side), and the Lamb Karahi. I took both home with me because I was stuffed to the gills from stops 1 and 2 of the pigfest meal.

However, once at home, and about a half hour after leaving the restaurant, I can assert with some degree of accuracy that the kabobs were spot on -- the Pakistani version of the Afghan version I had yesterday at Flame Kabob -- and I could clearly see the differences in style and flavor and I can authoritatively declare a dead heat.

And then there was the Karahi....mere humans are unworthy to enjoy such a divine meal. The combination of explosive flavor, succulent tenderness and massive spicy finish was mind-altering.

The only downside of a meal from Karahi Kabob (and Sweets) or Flame Kabob or similar establishments is that they do not serve alcohol, so they are best suited for carry-out. And that means the food must withstand travel and cooling and possibly re-heating, so all of that must be factored into the enjoyment. But that's a small price to pay in order to wash that Karahi down with something worthy, like a solid red from Lebanon's Chateau Musar.

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Lemme tell y'all something ...

Karahi Kabob was good shortly after it was Ravi Kabob III - I done seen it with my own eyes. The key word in the title is, "New Ownership."

<--- This is a line of transition. --->

I know you don't judge places by lunch buffets, but when a lunch buffet is *this* bad, that sinks the entire restaurant. It was nothing more than a few steam tables of oily liquid, with a few solid pieces you could spoon out - if you wanted them. I took a few chickpeas, a tiny amount of spinach, and after I sat down, went back for one piece of what I think was chicken. 80% of the way into the meal, we were brought a basket of naan, which was fresh-made, and the best thing about the meal by a mile - we wrapped it in napkins, and took it home.

When I went to pay the bill, the heretofore friendly server said, "We're making you a kabob - that takes time." 

'What a nice gesture,' I thought - a kabob that I didn't even ask for - did they see that I wasn't eating much?

They tried to charge me $10.95 for the damned kabob. When I mentioned I didn't know anything about it, they said, "Do you not want it?"

No, I did not want it - this "charming gesture" was a way to run up the tab, as far as I could see. I honestly looked around, wondering whether or not this was the same restaurant that I enjoyed so much several years before - I'm afraid it was.

Try and navigate this website.

Screenshot 2019-03-10 at 01.20.49.png

"Karahi Kabob and Sweets" has a food truck. Next to it was parked the food truck for "Akmal's Kitchen," at the exact same address: 7050 Spring Garden Drive in Springfield.

Do yourselves a favor, huh?

ak.jpeg

I apologize for having had ranked this place in Italic for so long - it has tumbled, down into the Mariana's Trench of Springfield restaurants - if you find it, let me know.

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8 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Lemme tell y'all something ...

Karahi Kabob was good shortly after it was Ravi Kabob III - I done seen it with my own eyes. The key word in the title is, "New Ownership."

<--- This is a line of transition. --->

I know you don't judge places by lunch buffets, but when a lunch buffet is *this* bad, that sinks the entire restaurant. It was nothing more than a few steam tables of oily liquid, with a few solid pieces you could spoon out - if you wanted them. I took a few chickpeas, a tiny amount of spinach, and after I sat down, went back for one piece of what I think was chicken. 80% of the way into the meal, we were brought a basket of naan, which was fresh-made, and the best thing about the meal by a mile - we wrapped it in napkins, and took it home.

When I went to pay the bill, the heretofore friendly server said, "We're making you a kabob - that takes time." 

'What a nice gesture,' I thought - a kabob that I didn't even ask for - did they see that I wasn't eating much?

They tried to charge me $10.95 for the damned kabob. When I mentioned I didn't know anything about it, they said, "Do you not want it?"

No, I did not want it - this "charming gesture" was a way to run up the tab, as far as I could see. I honestly looked around, wondering whether or not this was the same restaurant that I enjoyed so much several years before - I'm afraid it was.

Try and navigate this website.

Screenshot 2019-03-10 at 01.20.49.png

"Karahi Kabob and Sweets" has a food truck. Next to it was parked the food truck for "Akmal's Kitchen," at the exact same address: 7050 Spring Garden Drive in Springfield.

Do yourselves a favor, huh?

ak.jpeg

I apologize for having had ranked this place in Italic for so long - it has tumbled, down into the Mariana's Trench of Springfield restaurants - if you find it, let me know.

Sorry you had to suffer for us, Don. I had a few bad experiences here myself, a few years ago, so whenever I'm in that neck of the woods, it's usually for the halal butcher or Thai Ghang Waan.

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5 hours ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

Sorry you had to suffer for us, Don. I had a few bad experiences here myself, a few years ago, so whenever I'm in that neck of the woods, it's usually for the halal butcher or Thai Ghang Waan.

The Sri Krishna Grocery is my go-to for all things Indian. 

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