Afghanistan: Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan

It’s the Shish
West Hartford
November 2023

“First food, then religion”
Afghan Proverb

Maybe you are aware of other Afghan restaurants in Connecticut, but I am not. Of course, since I live in the same town as this long standing and rather well-regarded one, I’ve never had a reason to look elsewhere when I get that Afghan food jones.

What? You don’t often have a need for Afghan cuisine? Well check this out: on the night I went with my friends Sean and Kevin, I randomly ran into two separate groups of friends there. One was a family from Simsbury and the other was a couple from Rocky Hill celebrating a birthday with friends.

All of the last names of those parties and mine are: Wood, Finnin, O’Donnell, Witt, Parmelee, and Wilkinson. One of them was born and raised in Ireland. In other words, The Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan not only attracts West Hartford Afghans, it attracts a bunch of pasty white ethnically Irish, English, and German people from other towns as well.

What I’m saying is this is good food. Heck, any restaurant that has survived in West Hartford Center since 1988(!) must be good. I’m not sure how many other restaurants in this ridiculously restaurant-rich town center has been around that long.

Max’s Oyster Bar? 1999. Arugula? 1996. The Elbow Room might be the only one.

And that’s pretty crazy. Actually, it’s entirely possible their 1988 start was elsewhere… gimme a second to do a minute of Internet research…

Yes. Their beginnings were at a much smaller spot in the South End of Hartford. I have no idea when they came to Lasalle Road – again, this is prime Connecticut restaurant real estate – but they’ve been here as long as I have; around 2001.

I’ve been here several times and will let the secret out: the happy hour at the Shish House is easily one of the best in town. The drinks are cheaper (but just as good at “hipper” surrounding spots) and the food selection is great (and more exciting than at “hipper” surrounding spots). I’ll never forget the time Hoang and I wandered in and I got Chimay Blue for half price on tap.

That was sometime in the early 2000’s. They still have Chimay on tap. It’s always struck me as the oddest thing… maybe someone at some point said the classic Belgian beer paired well with typical Afghan cuisine. (By the way, I asked my server if “Afghan” or “Afghani” is preferred and she told me “Afghan.” So go yell at her if I’m incorrect.)

I can tell you that I definitely did something incorrect: I only went with two friends. If you want to experience Afghan cuisine, go here with at least four people. That way, you can enjoy a more traditional “Afghan family meal” type of thing where you are served everything the chef feels like serving you. You can even sit on pillows on the floor. I’d have preferred that for this page that you’re reading, but apparently I only have two friends.

Since 1988, the Shish Kebab House has offered the Hartford area delicious Afghan Cuisine, such specialties as Mantoo and Ashak dumplings or our award winning kebabs ranging from traditional lamb kebab to mouth watering beef tenderloin and succulent lamb chops to unique Salmon and Swordfish kebabs cooked traditionally over a bed of coals. Come experience 10,000-years of flavors or just relax in our spacious bar on the first floor. You will find that Shish Kebab House has something for everyone.

10,000 years of flavors? This better be good. Humans have only been in the US for about 15,000 years and I’m not sure they were eating this well back then.

According to the Shish Kebab House:

Afghanistan is believed to be the first farming community in the world. Being a land-locked country, cooks rely on locally grown Basmati Rice, meats, freshwater fish, vegetables, dried peas, beans, fresh fruits, yogurt, noodles, rice, and a distinctive palette of mildly used seasonings relative to its neighbors.

Rice plays a very important part in Afghan cooking, and Afghans are very particular about the grain of rice they use. The best quality rice in Afghanistan is found in the south, particularly the province of Laghman. That is where one can find “Aahu Barah” rice meaning “The Deer’s Valley”. Aahu Barah rice is in the Basmati Rice family and is perhaps one of the finest quality of rice available. It is best described as a long grained and extremely aromatic rice as all true Basmati’s.

Spoiler alert: the rice here is very good.

As I like to do, I scanned the drink menu for “something Afghan.” I settled on a “White Afghan” to start. (Quiet jokes were made among us three white Irish-English guys passing as “white Afghans” of course.) This is simply a take on a White Russian where they substitute Afghan chai for the milk. It was too sweet for me, but it was very good.

I would recommend you get some Afghan tea (Sher Chai). This is a traditional sweet chai prepared using black tea, cardamom, milk and beet juice. I happen to hate beets more than any food on the planet, so I shied away… even though I’m sure its flavor is hidden in that mix. Word on the streets is that it’s excellent tea.

Later, I greatly slowed my alcohol roll and had a Taj Mahal Pilsner. It’s brewed in India and isn’t very good, but it’s a beer you won’t find in too many restaurants around here. I was all in on this eating “world tour” thing.

When it came time to order food, I let the White Afghan do the talking. “What are the most Afghan appetizers on the menu?” Not such a ridiculous question now that I think about it. Our server stumbled a bit, sizing me up. Was I an ignorant buffoon (fair assumption) or a genuinely curious diner seeking new experiences? I like to believe she settled on the latter, and suggested the hummus and pita, pakawra, and mantoo.

So that’s what we got.

Pakawra are large slices of potato dipped in a lightly seasoned homemade batter then fried crispy. So… potato chips? You bet. I happen to love potato chips, and these are, of course, elevated beyond anything I was familiar with. The thin potato slices are dipped in a smooth mixture of chickpea flour, known as Besan, and water. A pinch of baking soda is added to this mixture, giving Pakawra its signature puffy and crusty exterior, and a dash of salt and coriander seed finishes it off. The traditional aromatic green chutney for dipping here is fantastic: garlic, parsley, cilantro, walnuts, hot pepper and some other seasonings. I could have eaten 50 of these things.

The hummus was smooth and creamy and lemony. The pita was soft and pillowy. We were off to a great start.

Mantoo is a dish you simply need to have if you “go Afghan” for a night. Steamed dumplings filled with mildly spiced beef and onions; topped with yellow split peas and homemade yogurt, with mint and garlic. the “dumplings” are not what I am familiar with as dumplings – either south Asian style or northern European style. But they are delicate and flavorful and, well, I’d eat them again.

The restaurant has been owned and operated by the Sarwar family since the 1980’s. The family’s story is somewhat known around town. Having fled Afghanistan in the wake of the communist regime, the Sarwar family spent their first few years in America undocumented and fighting deportation. During this time they had to work simple jobs, earning less than minimum wage. They ultimately received political asylum while the government that granted it was funding the Afghan Mujahideen (to fight the commies) which later spawned such friends of the US as Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.

I’m not qualified to get into the politics of the region but will say that Afghanistan deserves a break. Since I’m human and generally care about fellow humans and know that scores of good humans live in Afghanistan… it would be nice for them to be free of communists, terrorists, Taliban, drug lords, poppy fields, and who knows who else. The Sarwars are good people who were able to escape. How many others had their lives destroyed by the men with the guns and bombs?

As mentioned, the Sarwar’s were able to open their tiny South End restaurant before moving to West Hartford Center. Many Sarwars have worked in the restaurant.

Current general manager Aaron Sarwar grew up in the restaurant, working through school and even while earning his BA in engineering at the University of Hartford. He ran an unsuccessful campaign for city council and attainted the rank of Captain in the Connecticut Air National Guard. The American Dream.

Of course, that didn’t protect him or his family from death threats and vandalism following the 9/11 attacks. In “liberal” West Hartford. One way the community combatted such asinine behavior was local churches filled the restaurant night after night. That’s pretty cool.

The pandemic rocked them, but West Hartford’s move to outdoor dining was a boon. On to the entrees!

Sean got the salmon kebab. I didn’t even take a picture of it because… it was salmon. Sean loves salmon. And he got potatoes for his side. Kevin also got potatoes. I just couldn’t round out the trio of Irish-English dudes all getting potatoes. So I got the pumpkin puree just so the server couldn’t go laugh at us in the kitchen.

And I don’t even like pumpkin.

But I rather liked my pumpkin puree. This place is magical!

The puree complemented my ashak. That’s right Sean, no salmon for me. I said I was all in. Ashak are boiled dumplings filled with scallions and spinach, topped with spicy chopped beef, yellow peas, our homemade yogurt, mint. So it’s similar to the mantoo but boiled instead of steamed I guess. It was fine, but I much preferred the mantoo to the the ashak. Now I know.

Kevin got some beef kebab thing that… let’s just say it didn’t look super appetizing, but he reported that it was “great” and ate the whole thing.

All the food here was excellent. The service was excellent, save for the server serving the wrong dishes and drinks every single time. Of course, all us pasty northern European 50 year gray haired guys all do look the same. I give her a full pass.

My Simsbury friends loved their meal. My Rocky Hill friends and their friends loved their meals – and they even partook in the hookah lounge afterwards. The Shish House even has (or had) a downlow late night club scene. It’s just a super cool place that too often gets overlooked by people who should know better.

The Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan: A great family with an inspiring story consistently making and serving one of the most interesting and delicious menus in a town overflowing with restaurants.

Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan
CTMQ’s CT World Food Tour