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Nice write-up of Khan BBQ in Newcity this week...the owner started cooking at some sub place near Robert Taylor homes

Khan BBQ Rises from the Ashes

Finally went into the new Khan BBQ today. Although it's roughly one million times more conventionally appealing than the old place, I'm glad to see that the Khan BBQ spirit seems to be taking over the space rather than the reverse-- with the kitchen out in the dining room, and lots of waiters, takeout orderers, and friends of the owner milling about, it still had quite a bit of the bazaar atmosphere the old place had. Oh, and the food was as good as ever.

I congratulated Mr. Khan (resisting the impulse to call out to him in the voice of William Shatner-- "Khaaaaan!") on the new restaurant and he said that business had doubled. No doubt other things have doubled, too, so glad to know that the more visible location is resulting in increased business.

We made our first visit to the new (and air conditioned) Khan BBQ yesterday around 5.

The Chicken Boti was still a fine fine dish. The chicken came out of the tandoor with burnt parts, and still moist inside. I am wondering if we can ask for extra crispy next time as I would have preferred a little more charring on all pieces (our batch was not as well done as in the GWiv pic a few posts back).

We enjoyed watching spits of meats go into the oven and come out in plain view. The Tandori chicken looked even more appetizing than the boti and came out a nice reddish hue, but not the glaring scarlet.

We branched out and tried Kadhai Gosht, which was a stew with very meaty goat chunks (only a couple small bones) in a red sauce, with flecks of herbs and defined by a ginger taste. Delicious and fresh tasting. Not quite the Balti taste we had in London a couple years ago, but getting closer!

The palak aloo was very ghee-full, but necessary for my saag/palak addiction. I guess I wouldn't recommend it as being near the top of form for the dish like the boti, but it does satisfy my cravings.

It was our first time coming at a normal dining hour, and at the new location, and by the time we left almost all tables were full with families and groups of men. Mr. Khan sat at the end of the long table we were sitting at with a couple friends. The cabbies can conveniently stop at the taxi stand outside to pick up their orders. There were also some large take out orders being done when we first arrived. From all indications, things are going well. Although the downside was that it took over 20 minutes to be served our first plate! Nevertheless, we wish this place to be around a long time in its second incarnation!

We also were in Khan's last night around 7-ish. Our last visit was just hours prior to the fire which destroyed the old place, so we decided to try again...perhaps to see if we were the jinx!
The food was still wonderful, with the Frontier chicken being as wonderful as ever. My daughter ordered Chicken Boti and was quickly informed by the waiter that the dish was somewhat spicy. He asked her if she would mind if he told the cook to adjust the recipe more to her taste, which definitely doesn't include highly spiced. We're not quite sure what he brought to the table for her, but it was DELICIOUS!!! All of us were thrilled with the dish, but due to somewhat of a language barrier, we never did find out what we should order next time to duplicate the meal. Although there were only a few occupied tables, our food also took an extraordinary amount of time to come to the table.....but in the long run, oh so worth it!!!

The family and I made our first pilgramage to the new Khan today too, and what Mike sez is so true. My wife was scouring the dollar stores afterwards for some decent eye drops to reduce the smoke stains on her orbs. I'd also like to say, that while the snazzy chandelier is shown in Gwiv's pic above, no one has commented on, well how snazzy it is.

Obviously, our food was great: tandoor chicken, frontier chicken,* dal, channa masala**, seek kebab, naan with and without seeds and a parantha, oh and a lassi, and all for under $40!

*Anyone else noticing how hot the jalepenos are this year?

**A rather unconventional, for my experiences, channa massala, in a sauce with, I think black eye peas, not the typical reddish gravy.

hotter weather=spicier chiles (also I think, dryer weather=spicier chiles)



The "typical" channa masala is in most cases the based on the punjabi version. There are all kinds of channa masala out there (after all that really means in chick peas with spices), one of my favorite which you don't see as much is a more sour version with tamarind, I also wish you would see more of the plain black eye pea curries

LTH,

Snapped a few pictures of Khan BBQ's Tandor last week.


lump charcoal slowly chuckling away.


Chicken Boti was as good, which is very good, as always, as was Frontier Rice w/chicken. Frontier Rice is made on the griddle and tends toward slightly oily, in a good way.

Khan BBQ Frontier Chicken.


Enjoy,
Gary

I should've paid heed to this pre-fire/old location c8w comment. On my first visit to Khan BBQ last Saturday, with my visiting family in tow, we had some of the worst service I've ever encountered.* It was a bit crowded at 7:30pm, and we did get our correct order, but some items didn't get to us (lassis, napkins, utensils, glasses) even after 3-4 requests (English and Urdu!). I ended up getting up to get the last three items, and found myself pretty annoyed when the servers finally poured (not prepared) the lassis from a pitcher.

That said, our grilled items were excellent (chicken boti, seekh kabob) and other dishes were solidly OK (chicken biryani, chana masala, aloo palak, naan). This will be a place I'd happily return to -- for grilled items to go.

It may have been mentioned earlier and I missed it -- cash only.

* Perhaps my calibration was off, as my wife and I had just come off spectacular anniversary meal/service at Avenues the night prior. But I'm pretty sure service was objectively bad at Khan's that night.

Arrived at Khan around 7:15 this evening, just in time to catch the flood of Pakistanis breaking their nightly Ramadan fast. I've never had any sort of direct contact with anything involving Ramadan before in this country. So when we happened upon this local ritual, I was hugely taken by the scene's simplicity and pure beauty.
Khan provides an HD-TV which has direct coverage of the events from Mecca, adding to the wonderful weight of this experience.
I would strongly recommend checking it out sometime in the next 4 or 5 days before Ramadan ends.
Make sure not to get there just after sunset, unless you're prepared to be overwhelmed with humanity.

The stuff on TV must surely be on Tape-Delay, given the time difference?

You can find similar "fast-breaking" scenes all over CHicago, if you wish -
dont have to just do Khan's for it On Devon itself you have, IIRC,
Daata Durbar, Usmaniya, Ghareeb Nawaz etc all doing special
iftaar (fast-breaking) things going on - usually free snacks (followed
by, in Daata Durbar for one, a prayer service downstairs... and then by
the "Daata Durbar Pool Tournament", no doubt Even some of the
burbs have it - the branch of Sabri Nehari in Lemont (is it?) is doing
something similar in terms of fast-breaking I think.

The abovei s "fast-breaking" stuff - dates, pakoras, samosas, fruit,
all usually free. In addition, there are a couple of menu items around
for the month - Haleem is being offered in most of these restaurants
too, as a sort of Ramadan special (Daata Durbar, for instance, usually
makes Haleem only on Friday; for this month its available every day
of the week, usually prepared by 5-6pm). I believe Chopal is
doing something similar.

Oh, and the timings of many restaurants are different too. At about 8am
a couple of days ago, *everying* was closed - Daata Durbar, Hyderabad
House, Ghareeb Nawaz... all of them are "24-hour" places, but all
were down for the day. They have basically all moved to a
"4pm to 4am" schedule I believe, for the month (except when India or
Pakistan are playing a cricket match in the ongoing Champions Trophy -
when they are also open for the game, starting 4am to about 11:30
am


c8w

Yes, somewhat accidentially at first, but once we realized what was happening, we hit the iftaar buffet at Shari Nehari in Lombard a few weeks ago. It was pretty good, but I have to say, not as good as the buffet there can be. What was more interesting was the total array of sari fashions on display. Very be-u-tee-ful

Hi,

I have a friend who lived in Morocco. She described the fast breaking scene in restaurant: People arrive before sundown. Sitting quietly at the table food might start coming out but it is not touched or acknowledged. The moment the signal goes off the sun has gone down, then everyone simultaneously reaches for their fork to commence eating.

While she is not an observer, she effectively became an observer to maintain harmony with everyone around her. How can you eat or drink when everyone around is abstaining?

Regards,

Yes, service is still often terrible. I went down there iwth a friend a week or
so ago, IIRC (the nice new TV was playing a replay of an old India-England
cricket match from a few months ago). Ordered 2 Chicken Botis... and they
came back a while later and told us there was only 1 left (and it was only
about 9pm I think). So I replaced my order with a Goat Biryani... and then
was told a little later that they were out of Biryani too! How does one run
out of the 2 best dishes by 9pm?

Ended up with a Chappli Kabab IIRC, which was only OK on the day. The
one order of Chicken Boti (of which I stole a couple pieces) was, as
usual, excellent.

I too think its a wonderful place, best in the city, but for only about 2 or
3 dishes, mostly the grilled ones IMHO. And if one wants to avoid really
bad services, as you said, takeit to go

c8w

One of the fairly unique dishes that I associate only with Iftar is the fruit chaat, which is generally chopped apple/pear/banana + grapes (and often other fruits), mixed with pepper and chaat masala. Khan always has this available for the free Iftar's he provides to the community.

Of course, last time I was there, I saw a lady eating away before opening, and shoving plate after plate of the free food into a grocery bag. Unsure if she was openly taking advantage of the situation, or just clueless as to why it were free... Anyway, don't do that if you go.

Eid is on Monday, it'll be quite festive on Devon during the day...

Hey, we dont really know that yet It could still be Tuesday after all,
no? (And Tuesday being the "closed" day on Devon, it may not be
very festive at all). It should be a fun week in general though - its
Eid Week, and also Diwali week simulataneously! Doesnt happen *that*
often.

Havent been to Iftaar at Khan's yet - is the food particularly good?

c8w

Have to say, I haven't had anything but good experiences at Khan's: bhindi, boti, frontier chicken, frontier beef, dal, chickpeas, tandoori fish-wish other places on Devon were as good across their whole menu. Added bonus to the new location is 60% more space and 90% less smoke.

I think most of Chicago/Midwest is celebrating today - there is always some dissention, but being that many have already hit 30 fasts, Today should be the majority around the country.

Diwali, Eid and don't forget:

25 Oct New Zealand v Pakistan, Mohali (1000 BST)
27 Oct Pakistan v South Africa (1000 BST)
26 Oct India v West Indies, Ahmedabad (1000 BST)
29 Oct India v Australia, Mohali (0900 GMT)

Should be a great vibe on Devon all week

As far as the iftar, it's okay - we generally try to eat light for the opening, then order a real dinner afterwards. They always have Rooh Afza w/ milk on the tables, and the fruit chaat, like I mentioned is always good. He also does these fried chicken thighs that are very spicy and tasty, but some of the other food will get cold (cold pakoras - ayi). It's not quite as good as Khan's usualy fare, but hey, it's free!

And as I drink my first coffee in 30 days, I'm angry I didn't take the day off...

LTH,

At only 4-months it doesn't quite qualify as an RBI*, but Kuhdo's recommendation of Broasted Chicken at Khan BBQ yielded a tasty bird indeed.

Crisp spice laden coating yields to moist, tender bone-in chicken flesh penetrated by a marinade that evokes Louisiana hot sauce.

Khan BBQ Broasted Chicken



While Khan's Broasted chicken is not going to replace Boti Chicken as my all time Khan BBQ favorite, it's a nice change of pace and a good choice for a shared dish among a group of diners.

Thanks for the head up Kuhdo!

Enjoy,
Gary

*Recommended But Ignored

Gary:
Glad you enjoyed the broasted chicken. It's become one of my favorite dishes at Khans ever since it reopened. I really like this stuff. As I have noted before, if Harold's opened a Chicken Shack in Karachi, this is what they'd serve. All that's missing is some good slaw to go along. Paki soul food at it's finest .

I tried Khan BBQ last night for the first time, and wasn't too blown away. But with that said I would go back and try some other offerings. The atmosphere is great. I'll never travel to Pakistan, but I guess these sort of places will be the closest I ever get. There was a plasma TV (which surprised me) hung above the kitchen showing what I assume to be Pakistani news - a show called Fir. The format and willingness to show blood and violence reminded me of some of the Mexican programming that's shown. As fas as the food, I tried the chicken boti, daal palak, white rice and some garlic naan. The daal palak was excellent - perfectly spiced for me. The chicken; however, was undercooked a bit and stringy. There were some pieces that I simply couldn't eat. But again, I will go back and try some other dishes.

Kuhdo,

I've become quite enamored with Khan's broasted chicken, I've have it twice since my last post. Your description pretty much nails it, "if Harold's opened a Chicken Shack in Karachi", though now I'm wondering if Khan does such a good job with chicken boti and broasted chicken what about other chicken dishes, Steam Chicken and Fried Chicken to be specific. Have you tried them?

Khan BBQ Broasted Chicken (Frontier Chicken Rice in background)


Goat Chanp is another favorite, thin slice goat rib and shoulder steaks given a spin in the tandor. They don't always have them, but it's well worth asking.

Goat Chanp


Khan BBQ


Enjoy,
Gary

LTHForum Directive 14-7.a:
Go to Khan BBQ

I say this in the wake of seeing Khan through fresh eyes, a food centric friend from Detroit was blown away, absolutely knocked out by Khan. 5-days later and I'm still getting wonder-struck emails about the joys of chicken boti, bhindi, biryani, chana masala and mouth tingling spicy broasted chicken.

Last time he was in town we went to David Burke's Primehouse, terrific meal, top of the game steaks, wine, service, atmosphere, but what 40ish male businessman hasn't been to countless steakhouses. At Khan BBQ he kept muttering I never knew a place like this existed, all the while a wide smile on his face.

Best of all, I finally got my wife to go to Khan and she loved the place, gave me the ol' "why haven't you taken me here before, when I'd asked her any number of times to go to Khan.

Khan was rife with wow factor, the joint was jumping, we ordered way too much food, 6-7 dishes, plus naan, paratha and tea and, for 3-people, the price was about the same as a steak, no sides, at a top tier steakhouse.

Go to Khan BBQ today!

Enjoy,
Gary

Khan B.B.Q
2401 W Devon
Chicago, IL 60645
773-338-2800

GWiv

We have tried to get Goat Champ everytime we have gone without success.
Your photos make us want them all the more!

Do you have any sense which day/time they might be most likely to have them? We can schedule our lives around the goal of obtaining goat champ...

Griffin's Wife,

Sadly, no idea as to goat chanp's schedule, it's hit and miss for me as well. It's well worth persevering though.

Enjoy,
Gary

OMG!!!!

After seeing Khan mentioned in the Hema's thread and elsewhere on the forum Mrs. Monkey and I decided to give it a go. Wow! WOW!

Everything was soooo fantastic! We've been to some of the other Indian/Paki places up and down Devon but had yet top ever try Khan BBQ. We ordered to go given the large number of posts regarding service. The minute I walked in and was hit by the aroma, I knew I was going to be happy. The Dal Palak was so nutty and buttery, warm earthiness. It was so beautifully balanced. The Frontier Chicken was also wonderfully executed. It was moist and tender with mild resistence, the spices/flavor had good penetration into the morsels and all topped with fresh cilantro. Good heat too!! The Karachi Goat was also very tender and had an intoxicating ginger flavor to it, at least I think it was ginger. That was a hit with us both. The Aloo Paratha suffered a little from the trip hom in foil, but it was still very falvorful. We topped all that off with some rice and mango lassis. I can't wait to kill of the leftovers tonight. Thanks everyone for yet another winner.

Man, I love LTH!

I have to admit that over past 6 weeks, my love for Khan has morphed into obsession. I've been hitting it hard, bringing in friends who've never been and even carrying-out lunch for my office, where it was also very well-received.

For no reason other than sheer admiration, I'm posting a few shots taken during my most recent visits . . .


Raita



Aloo Gobi



Daal Palak



Frontier Chicken Rice



Bihari Kabab



Chicken Boti



Broast Chicken

=R=

Khan BBQ
2401 West Devon Avenue
Chicago, IL 60659
773 274-8600

Yeah, I've been back a few times over the past two months as well. The least favorable experience was the night before Father's Day, but I can understand if the waitstaff and cooks were a bit overwhelmed by the larger families stopping by on a Saturday night; late weeknights were better. Otherwise, the chicken boti has really hit the spot for me, both spice- and temperature-wise.

Other items like the frontier chicken rice and frontier beef rice enjoyed renewed life after a quick nuke at home, as the kababs and spit-based items (like the boti) generally came out hotter than the rice. The naan was always hot out of the tandoor, however. The bihari kabab is an acquired taste, to be sure: the way the (mealy?) meat falls apart both inside and outside the mouth didn't appeal to me, but perhaps it might work for others on this board. Still, I don't mind ~$20 meals (total) with a friend at Khan B.B.Q. because the boti -- accompanied by another companion dish -- is just that good. Leftovers are never left behind.

Thanks for posting the pics, Ronnie,
Dan

I like Khan's quite a bit (I started this thread a long time ago) but it's worth repeating that what they are very very good at are the tandoor items. The veggies are ok, but you can find better on devon and IMO the rice is objectively bad.

so if you go, concentrate on meat, dryer meat items. This is too bad as i eat most often on devon with vegetarians, and so don't get to khan's as often as I'd like

Kitchen Monkey,

You hit the nail on the head. I finally had the opportunity to taste the Karachi Gosht at Khan and it was indeed intoxicating.

This week I took two old friends to Khan, where I normally skew towards big plates of meat (and maybe the aloo gobi). One of my friends requested something with a bit of gravy and we wound up with the Karachi Gosht--nice big hunks of flavorful goat shoulder in a piquant, gingery gravy, well-suited for sopping up with pieces of garlic naan.

Also, one of my friends requested some achar (pickled relish/condiment), which I had never thought to request at Khan's. Our waiter was shocked to hear the word come out of his mouth and brought us an excellent small plate of achar that made everything on the table a little better.

Just when I thought a meal at one of my favorite restaurants couldn't get any better, I've tasted two new items that up the ante.

Best,
Michael

(I know this is really pedantic, but it's actually "karahi" -- nothing to do with the city. May make ordering easier.)