Karahi Boys
Karahi Boys is a Pakistani spot serving up Lahori-style food.
The washed-out exterior of the plaza it sits in belies the nicely decorated restaurant within.
High ceilings and crate bulb lighting give this place a modern, playful vibe. The setting will be appreciated, since you'll need a minimum wait time of about 30 minutes for your food.
As it's name implies, the restaurant specializes in karahi, a popular dish named after the traditional pot that it's cooked in.
It requires time, but it's worth the wait for a freshly-made, halal meal that's ideal for sharing.
Cooks here use custom-made karahis imported from Pakistan.
These wok-like pans are handle-less, requiring chefs to skillfully handle the karahis with a pair of pliers and tongs, where they prepare chicken and goat dishes (no lamb here) in sauce and house-ground herbs.
After cooking, the karahis are brought straight from the grill to your table.
The KBoys Chicken Karahi is popular, served with a delicious and spicy reduced curry with tons of cumin and spices. The half-kilogram order ($19.99) is enough for two to three people.
You should definitely pair your orders with some naan. Two-foot-long pieces of family naan ($4.99) are brought out on a special stand.
You can't go wrong with delicious garlic naan ($2.99), either.
Use it to scoop up the sauces from one of my favourite dishes, the Namak Mandi Goat Karahi, with tons of suckable bone marrow.
It's one of the pricier items on the menu, at $35.99 for half a kilo of saucy meat, but I'd order it again.
Gawal Mandi Chana Daal Karahi is a jalapeno-laden split chickpea mixture, served with a lemon wedge and slivers of ginger.
Aside from the karahi dishes, there are also barbecued eats, like the Shashi Malai Boti ($14.99), white chicken meat served on a hot plate and a layer of onions.
For dessert, one order of Khoya Kheer rice pudding ($7.99) is brought over in a pair of clay dishes.
A glass of fresh lime soda ($3.50) helps to keep things cool when things get spicy.
Hector Vasquez