Kabab Grill Opens on White Street

There's a new restaurant on White Street that specializes in kababs. Noman Azhar and his father, Azhar Rashid, opened up Kabab Grill located at 35 White St. suite 4, and the restaurant specializes in Pakistani, Indian, and Bangladeshi food.

      "We were busy all last week," Azhar said about his restaurant's experiences with Thanksgiving. He explained that the restaurant has done well since it opened on October 19, 2010.

     Azhar and his father worked together at a restaurant in Meriden, and grew up in Danbury, living in the city since 1995. Azhar explained that the restaurant serves halal food, and that "halal" is the Arabic equivalent of the Jewish word "kosher."

 "Best kababs in town," said Giovannie Rosa, who is a chef at Kabab Grill.

      "He loves to say that," said Azhar, and they both laughed.

      "Their food is awesome," said customer Bill Miller about Kabab Grill after he ordered. "I've been coming here since they got started."

      Miller said he met the father and son co-owners when they opened the business. "They're very nice people," he said. Miller said he works as a regional salesperson for Zafar Produce out of New Windsor, NY, and sells produce to businesses in the area, including Kabab Grill.

      Azhar said he is giving discounts for the price conscious college student. Western Connecticut State University students get a 10 precent discount when they present a valid school ID.

      Azhar took some of his down time to explain how the food is cooked at Kabab Grill.

      "Anything you make in the clay oven is tandoori," said Azhar, who was proud to show how he cooks his tandoori chicken, otherwise known as barbeque chicken. One of his favorite examples is his chicken boneless tikka, which includes five grilled pieces and costs $7.00.

      Kabab Grill makes their bread onsite, which Azhar jokingly said, "It would be great if we didn't have to make our own bread."

      For a quick appetizer $1.00, a customer can order naan bread. The naan starts as a mound of white dough, then is slapped onto the wall of a clay oven and left to bake. When it is served it comes out in soft pieces about ten inches in diameter and has a sweet and salty taste almost like a pancake. The naan comes plain, or baked with garlic, sesame, or keema (ground meat and spices).

      Kabab also specializes in samosas, which come as pairs of dough pockets filled with potato green peas and spices for $2.50, or ground grilled chicken and spices for $3.50.

      "I want to keep improving the place," said Azhar, who explained he plans on putting a lot of work into the restaurant.

      Kabab Grill has a website at http://kababgrillct.com/,