I’ve been driving down Georgetown Pike for twenty years or so, and don’t ever remember Kabob House not being in downtown Great Falls, although it has changed ownership fairly recently. It’s now operated, I believe, by the Ternisky family (if you’ve ever come across a pediatric dentist named Ternisky in Fairfax County, that’s the father). These folks also own Romantica Pizzeria next door, and I suspect they might have taken control of Kabob Palace from the previous owners, who were Persian, due to its proximity.
Kabob Place used to be extremely expensive for what it was – in fact, I believe it might have been the most expensive kabob house in the DC region, even more so than Shamshiry, despite it being a tiny little dive. When I visited this time, the prices didn’t strike me as being particularly high at all, so they were either lowered, or time caught up with them.
What did strike me, however, was the preponderance of Latino cuisine – not on the regular paper menu, but written on sheets of paper, as specials, and taped to the walls. The kitchen workers appeared to be Latino, so I went with the flow – thinking I’d be getting a kabob when I pulled up in the parking lot, I ended up dining south of the border, and I’m glad I did.
They were advertising pupusas, and I asked the gentleman working the register (who had very much of a managerial presence to him) if the owners were Salvadoran. He pointed to the grill cook working the flat-top, who turned to me and smiled, and said, “She’s from El Salvador.” I immediately ordered a Pupusa de Queso ($2.25), and had a Diet Coke (.99) while I waited. For my main course, I ordered Carne Asada ($10.50) and decided to eat in the restaurant rather than get carryout.
The pupusa arrived just before the carne asada, and it was wonderful – I suspect this cook has made many a pupusa in her day, and you should remember this when you come here. The carne asada was (not surprisingly) cooked to well-done, with a good char to it, and served with thoroughly pounded refried beans and rice – the seasoning was all just about perfect, and the only decision to make was “hot sauce or not sauce” – the flavor of this dish was good enough where I didn’t want to taint it with any chili sauce, so I enjoyed it by itself.
Shortly after getting my meal, the gentleman came up to me and told me he’d forgotten my tortillas (I didn’t know I was getting any to begin with), and I told him the pupusa was more than enough for me, and we could let the tortillas go. Taken as an ensemble, the beefy meat and the cheesy pupusa were a delicious combination, and just the right amount of food. I finished my meal, and walked out pleasantly full and very satisfied. There is nothing at all fancy here; just solid Latino grill-work at reasonable prices – Kabob Place is worth knowing about the next time you’re hankering for Latino food in or around Great Falls. I’m sure the kabobs are fine too, and maybe I’ll try them next time … or, maybe not.
Kabob Place offers free delivery in a five-mile radius, and is open Mon-Sat from 10:30-9.