I too have eaten at Kabob Palace. I left happy and full, for $16 for 2. I do agree that the service is a little confusing, but that is nothing that a question to the person behind the counter didn't fix for me.
Needless to say, it is not a typical American restaurant, nor would it ever claim to be. They changed the interior to resemble restaurants of the same ilk, which is understandable. I could be wrong, but I get the feeling that they never wanted it to look like a diner. That diner just happened to be an available space. Now, if a diner style restaurant had opened in that space, and changed the interior, I would be upset. However, the present interior is simple and reminiscent of similar spots. I thought of it as eating in the dining room of someone's home, and felt completely comfortable, once I asked a few questions about the menu. Also, they may have taken some cheaper routes because their restaurant is so new. One never knows. As for the plastic cutlery, I'm not sure if that is a temporary feature. I do agree that foods should be labeled, and there should be a "seat yourself" sign, so hopefully those suggestions will be passed to the owner, so that people not familiar with certain customs and food will be able to enjoy their experience there. Still, with all of the plastic-people trendy spots opening, I revel in eating at a restaurant owned and run by people whose backgrounds come from the same place that the cooking comes. It's a little adventure and learning experience right in my neighborhood. As for the food, I ordered Aloo Gobi, which came with rice and salad. The salad came with the most delicious cucumber yogurt dressing (I think) I have ever eaten. The entree had just the right amount of spice for me, which was great, because I did not order it a certain way. They just read my mind :). The naan was thick, chewy, and flavorful with sesame seeds baked into the top half. mmmm. My friend ordered curry chicken. I cannot vouch for it, since I don't eat meat. He did seem satisfied, though. In summary, there are a few kinks, but I still give it 2 thumbs up. Gina Renzi Coordinator The Rotunda 4014 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 Tel. : 215-573-3234 Fax : 215-898-2167 http://www.foundationarts.org On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 11:08:59 -0400, "HarvestMoon3" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote : > This is a multi-part message in MIME format. > > > New restaurants - Kabob Palace ReviewWe ate at Kabob Palace Fri. night, and we were very saddened and disappointed. Not that the food was bad -- I'm not qualified to review Indian/Pakistani food. But, Two complaints: > > 1) The "service" (if you could call it that) was completely lacking. This place seems geared to the foriegn-born already familiar with the food and customs. There was little explanation of the food items. It wasn't clear how you order: table service? The platters come with a choice of one of the curries which are displayed at the "counter" where you place your order. But they are not labeled. (We had a choice of 2 vegetarian curries, and 4 goat curries, after we asked the counter-guy to identify them.) There was no asking of "do you want a beverage with that? Water? " I ordered a mango lassi (sounded good), but it never arrived. We really could have used some water-- but none was offered. Plastic forks and spoons, no knives. > > 2) The very sad part was the fact that the interior of the previously- meticulously-restored American Diner was now hole-in-the-wall silly decor. Gone are all remnants of the previous diner (except for the stainless steel walls). All cheap industrial carpet -- no tile. Silly chandeliers. If you remember the American Diner interior, you will be very sadened to see it now. > > Neil Lifson > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Naomi > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2003 9:39 AM > Subject: [UC] New restaurants - Kabob Palace Review > > > I ate at the Kabob Palace about 2 weeks after it opened. The kabobs are amazing. Hands down the best I've ever had. They had a full menu but, after we got our heart set on a few items, they explained to us that they only make a few of the items each day so be sure to ask before looking at the menu. The portions were large (we took enough home for lunch the next day) and the price was cheap (under $15 for two with drinks). The main entrees we ordered - a lamb stew and a vegetable stew with okra were very flavorful and a nice heat to them but were a little greasy for my taste. I'm not sure if they were still working the kinks out or if that was the way it was suppose to be. There was a family with children behind us and a couple on a date. On the opposite side of us were 2 tables of men. I'm not sure what their country of origin was but I gather this food was second hand to them and they seemed to enjoy it. I assume they were taxi cab drivers from the number of cabs in the lot. All in all, it was a nice place - and fun decor. I plan to go back soon. > > Naomi > > > White Dog Cafe > 3420 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 > http://www.whitedog.com > (215) 386-9224 x105 > > The Black Cat Gift Shop > 3426 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 > http://www.blackcatshop.com > > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 17:47:46 EDT > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [UC] New restaurants > > > > > Can anyone give us a restaurant review for Kabob Palace, the recenty-opened > restaurant in the building which was once the American Diner, on Chestnut at > 42nd? How about the new Vietnamese restaurant at the corner of 43rd & Spruce? > I haven't tried either yet, so I hope to hear about someone else's > experiences. I also just saw that The Restaurant School is offering a special, "order > one entree in the American dining section, get the second one free," so if > you're really hungry or dining with a second person, that's another place to try. > Of course, I'm not forgetting my favorites, Marigold, Abbraccio, Rx, Vientiane > & Dahlak, so it isn't necessary for someone to write and remind me about them. > -Melani Lamond > ---- > You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the > list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see > <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. > > > ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
