Kabob Oasis
Hummus and Baba Ghanoush, Simple Salad, Fresh Taftoon Bread
Chicken and Lamb Kabob, Grilled Tomato, Saffron Rice, Simple Salad, Fresh Taftoon Bread
Falafel Wrap on Fresh Taftoon Bread, Spicy Yogurt, Simple Salad
Baklava
Featuring two locations in the Southeast, Fresh Kabob near McCarran and Kabob Oasis on South Eastern Avenue close to St. Rose Parkway, it was with previous lunch plans on Saturday abandoned that a stop was made at the latter, the results falling somewhat shy of greatness alleged by a colleague even though the food was seemingly authentic, affordable and fresh.
Originally opened in 2012 with location #2 arriving late-Spring 2015, a replacement for former tenant Shawarma Plus apparently a franchised outpost of the Airport location serving a similar menu, it was around 11:30am that the corner-space of a strip-mall was entered, no other diners present but a petite woman quickly emerging from the back room to take orders.
Laid out as a lengthy counter next to a sizable seating area, orders placed prior to payment and diners subsequently invited to sit and wait while listening to genre-appropriate music accompanied by video from a lone TV, it was a few minutes after seating that a thin man emerged from a small office to begin cooking, two skewers quickly plucked from a refrigerator and placed over the grill while he spent several minutes rolling, cutting and baking fresh Persian Bread.
Serving only Halal Meats and eschewing all preservatives, unnatural colorings and fillers, the promise that everything served is never frozen or microwaved proudly promoted both online and in the menu, it was while watching the man fill the clay oven that a first plate of two dips was delivered, a few leaves of greenery stacked in front of lightly charred Taftoon with a distinct tanginess to the fluffy crumb that plays well off smoky pureed Eggplant, though a bit less well with Hummus that would benefit from a bit more seasoning and less Oil.
Not quite finished with the Hummus and Babaganoush as a second patron entered the space, a $16.99 Kabob combination arriving just as the nearby hospital’s employee placed his order, those looking for a good “deal” will potentially find the plate appealing as it offers more than a half-pound of Meat in addition to just as much Rice, though the fact that Chicken was grilled to the point of dry while Saffron was imperceptible amongst the grains significantly restricted the enjoyment of everything save for cubes of Lamb that shined beneath a spicy Marinade.
Taking a Vegetarian Wrap to go, the contents questionably as “fresh” as Kabob Oasis would suggest since the Falafel was not fried-to-order and came crumbled amidst spicy Sauce and Vegetables, it was setting aside the majority that attention turned to a $1.99 Baklava slice, the layers of pastry not Honey-soaked but at the same time not crisp which makes one question not just whether it is made on-site, but when as well.
TWO AND A HALF STARS: Comparatively priced to Parsley Mediterranean and Sababa, but only improving on those by way of the freshly baked Bread while falling short otherwise, those considering Kabob Oasis would do well to pick and choose wisely or simply move on to another Mediterranean Restaurant in a city that has plenty.
RECOMMENDED: Baba Ghanoush, Lamb Kabob, Fresh Taftoon Bread.
AVOID: Falafel, Chicken Kabob, Baklava, Rice.
TIP: Currently offering discounts via Groupon, restaurant.com and a free Beverage with Social Media Check-in.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
https://www.freshkabob.com
