Shish Kabob Palace

Philadelphia
Middle Eastern Restaurant
$$$$

Palaces aren't often found in strip malls, but Shish Kabab Palace is. The Russian and Uzbekistani fare at this low-key stop emphasizes the Bukharia region, meaning lots of skewered meats, hearty soups, dumplings and cold eggplant and potato salads. The namesake dish cannot be passed upon, with ground lamb cylinders grilled over coal before they're served on metal rods and topped with raw, thinly sliced onions. Almost everything on the menu will bust your gut: rustic rice is cut with cilantro and bits of veal, mushroom sprinkled potatoes are decadently oily, and lamb broth soup sports a host of meaty dumplings. And when you can BYOB (vodka, obviously), it's almost like the USSR never fell.

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