The Skeptical Diner: Khyber Pass
I managed to make it out to St. Paul for dinner last weekend, checking out Grand Avenue’s finest and presumably only Afghan restaurant, Khyber Pass.
As with Machu Picchu, I walked into Khyber Pass with a chip on my shoulder, having frequented a terrific Afghan place in Cambridge, Mass. owned by the Karzais (yep, those Karzais.) And as with Machu Picchu, I was thrilled to find a place in the Twin Cities stand-up to knuckle-throwin’, pipe-swingin’ East Coast competition.
The mashawa soup was lovely — topped with a bit of sour cream and spiced strongly but elegantly, it was a natural complement to the flatbread that accompanied the meal.
The special side-dish of the night, kadu, was similarly strong. Kadu (also known as kaddo) is a braised and sweetened pumpkin (or squash) dish, served with a drizzle of garlic-laced yogurt. When executed correctly, the contrast between the warm, soothing squash and zesty, cool yogurt is absolutely awesome. Khyber Pass executed it correctly.
My main dish (a spiced meatball-on-rice dish known as Kofta Challow) was a little less dazzling, but was modestly soothing and substantial without being overly bulky or rich. And there were no complaints from my fellow diners, who ordered a wide range of other dishes — just contented munching.
The dining room could use a little redecorating (the paint’s a bit bright for any restaurant, and an Afghan place like this would be well-served by something more earthtone in nature) and the menu has a page-long history of Afghanistan that stops with the Taliban takeover. Minor aesthetic hiccups aside, Khyber Pass should be your go-to place for mashawa and kadu. Particularly if you’ve never had them before.
Love this place! They have a great lunch buffet! What about the flying carpets on the ceiling? Gotta love it.
Totally true — the flying carpets are pretty great. It could still use a paint-job, but it’s definitely not hopeless from a decor perspective. The place that seems to need the most design help around here (and maybe they’ve gotten their act together) is Mysore Cafe on Hennepin. In its previous incarnation as an over-priced Cajun place, it was similarly hopeless — it feels like you’re dining in an abandoned department store window, sans dummies and colorful backdrops.
Mysore Cafe wasn’t much better to look at when it was an Indian place before Antoine’s moved in. Hasn’t been cool since Uptown Diner moved out. Nice to have another Indian place within walking distance, though.