Panjshir

Update — Panshir II is open again! The new space is a little cleaner and less fusty looking; the food is as good as ever. Go there now and give them lots of business and rejoice that we live in a multicultural land of many culinary opportunities.

[review dated 7/22/04 follows] Finally made it to the Falls Church branch with a group. Although a smaller space, the decor is nearly identical, as is the menu and actual preparation of the dishes, which has always been consistently very good at the Vienna location.

Quibble: I wish they’d go back to making Quabili Pallow they way they did when I first dined there, in the mid-90s. It was more like a biryani then, just yummy chunks of lamb under a blanket of fragrant rice topped with carrots and raisins. Now they serve it with a sauce, beside the rice. Bo-ring. For the biryani-style preparation I recommend Faryab in Bethesda.

Edit 22 Jul 2004: According to the folks at Panjshir I, the II location is still waiting on county inspectors to approve the renovations to the strip mall after the damaging fire. So, hopefully they will re-open in a few months. The food at Falls Church is just as tasty as I remembered the dishes in Vienna to be. Mmmmm, aush and zamarod palow. I do adore spinach. True fact: for the first four years that I ate at Panjshir, I never ordered anything other than those two dishes. I just never got tired of them. It’s impossible to contemplate ordering something completely different when one walks in to the restaurant with one’s mouth watering for spinach rice, spinach, and succulent lamb bits in a tomato-based sauce.

Mmmmm. Ten years later, I’m still not tired of it.

Service at Panjshir I is still languid, but more efficient than II in its last year.

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Edit 22 Jan 2004: Panjshir II [Vienna location] seems to be down for the count. A fire a couple of months ago shut down the entire strip mall, but Panjshir has failed to reopen. This is a shame. Sources say that Panjshir I in Falls Church is still open- I don’t get to Falls Church very often, but I haven’t had aush in months, so it is likely time to make a pilgrimage. Both locations were managed closely by one family, so there shouldn’t be a large difference between the two. But best to call first.

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Used to be rated better- but I haven’t seen assad there in ages. Actually, I’m pretty worried about them- the place seemed to be really empty the last few times I’ve been there. If you aren’t in a hurry for any reason, then GO, and feast on tasty afghan food.

Good Afghan home cooking. Surprisingly, they seem to have something for everyone; they have plain meat-and-bread, they have sweet dishes, they have savory dishes, they have vegetarian dishes. Service is friendly, but at best leisurely.

I was very concerned for Panjshir through 2002, what with Assad disappearing to take care of the baby and with the sudden unpopularity of Afghan culture. But things seem to be picking up again.

Boy does this place hit the spot, especially the grilled lamb chops. The Afghan style of preparing pumpkin or turnip is well worth a try even if the normal “western” way of preparing these items is unappealing to you. And few soups are as satisfying as the aush.

The food deserves an 8, but as a whole, a rating of 7 is somewhat generous. It’s the service...friendly, but...I suspect even the English would find it “slow”. Also, they’ve GOT to add more dessert items.

-dave