International Food Cafe Kashkar

Elite '08

24

55

Lisa M.

Alexandria, VA

My first foray into Uighur food, and hopefully not the last. Uighur food (pronounced WEE-gher) is native to central Asia and thus counts Persian and Chinese among its influences. The Persian comes out in the tasty kebabs while the Chinese is apparent in its pastries and noodle soups. I was introduced to Uighur food by an old college friend who travels to Brooklyn for the only Uighur restaurant in the New York area. I heard a rumor that there is Uighur food in Germantown but it is otherwise a rare creature in the Washingtonian area.

And what a shame it isn't more common. My friend ordered a literal feast with a little bit of everything. We ordered veal and lamb rib kebabs, which come out under a pile of shaved raw onions. If one wants their food spicy, there is a small container of (very potent) hot sauce that looks and tastes homemade. The kebabs themselves are flavorful, slightly salty, and VERY addictive. The pastries stuffed with minced lamb are a meal in themselves. I usually find lamb to be a bit tough and gamey but this reminded me of the Chinese curry beef buns in texture yet with the distinctive lamb flavor. No less addictive is the lagman noodle soup, a bowl crowded with fat noodles, chunks of braised lamb, and long stripes of red and green peppers. The soup had a strong, rich flavor that had my friend and me shamelessly picking up the bowl to catch the last drops. My friend also had the foresight to order langsai salad, a cool summer salad of bean thread noodles, bits of lamb and loads of veggies in a vinegary dressing. We washed all this down with a ginger ale from a company I've never heard of before (presumably from the Uighur region). It was a tad sweet but went well with the spiciness of the hot sauce while a pot of tea complimented the rich flavors of the lamb.

Since this is my first experience with Uighur food, I can't compare it to other restaurants. All I know is that everything made me want to eat more of it, especially the lamb rib kebabs. The kebabs come four pieces to an order for a very reasonable price, and it's not inconceivable to build an entire visit around them, if the rest of the lot is as good as the veal and lamb rib. One thing that diners may want to remember is that a lot of the dishes are centered around lamb. If you're not a fan, you may find yourself limited but remember those kebabs! I wasn't able to try the salmon, chicken, pork, etc. Also, because so many of the dishes are so rich and flavorful, you have to be careful how you order. Luckily my dining companion ordered the langsai salad, and the beverages provided a good balance.

My dining companion whispered in a somewhat conspiracy-ish tone that their desserts weren't great but no matter, we were too stuffed to partake anyway. Too bad this place is so far away or else I'd find myself here over and over again.

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