I suspect most readers of this have never heard of Reston Kabob, much less been there (you have to really be looking for it to find it).
Recently, I’ve been to Crystal City’s Kabob Palace several times (they’re open 24 hours, and I’ve been working into the wee hours of the morning – even went at 5 AM once). Although what I’ve had at Kabob Palace has ranged from “good” to “average,” even the very best item would fall short in a comparison with the terrific dinner I had at Reston Kabob last night.
I’m not quite sure what, exactly, Reston Kabob is (other than a kabob house). It has a nice little website, advertising that they serve only Halal meat, has been open for ten years, but it doesn’t come across to me as Persian, Pakistani, or really of any particular nationality, although it’s listed on some websites as Afghan. I asked for Must-o-Kheyar on the telephone, for example, and the girl on the other end didn’t understand what I was saying.
Nevertheless, any skepticism I had evaporated when I opened my styrofoam treasure trove. Therein sat my #5 Kabob Platter ($14.99) of Kobeeda [Tory spelling] and Chicken. It was as if a virgin had unzipped John Holmes’ pants. The “kobeeda” was enormous, so big that it didn’t fit into a straight line when triangulating the square container – it was probably a good 14-15 inches in length, with more than average girth.
Along with it, atop the mound of basmati rice, were about five or six outsized chunks of boneless chicken, and a throwaway green salad with lettuce and two slices of tomato. I made the mistake of noticing a drawer full of tubs containing white sauce which I mistook for yogurt, and asked for two of them to go along with my green sauce. Well, they turned out to be sweetish poppy seed salad dressing, but I was too late with the first one (which went atop my rice); the second went atop the salad, the green sauce went atop the meats, and a joyous meal was had by all.
Restonians rejoice! You have a fine local kabob house in your midst.