Ravi Kabob (II)

My wife and I just ate at Ravi Kabob II in Ballston. For those not in the know, there are two Ravi Kabobs, and they are right across the street from each other. We'd been to Ravi I about a year ago and found it to be nothing short of spectacular. Warm, bustling vibe inside, and just really really terrific food. The ground meat kabobs (go chapli) are better than at most joints, and the lamb is very tasty. For sides, can't go wrong with the chick peas but I'd highly encourage trying whatever else they've got. It's one of the best ten places I've been to around D.C. and if it were remotely close to Capitol Hill I guarantee Judy and I would be speaking pretty decent Pashto. Tonight's the night before Eid al-Fitr, the holiday to celebrate the end of Ramadan, so between that and the time we went (about 8:30, being a while after the fast is broken and a while longer until the next meal), the place was dead. We somehow waited nearly a half hour for the food, which had me gnashing my teeth and trying to read all the Arabic calligraphy I could around the place. But it came soon enough and was every bit as tasty as its big brother across the street. If you haven't been, make a point of doing so soon. It's right near the corner of Glebe Road and Route 50, next door to the CVS.

The meal was so good, in fact, that it got me wondering how picky eaters do it. I've got plenty of friends who I'd call varying degrees of picky, and this is meant as no offense to them, but I do find it difficult to imagine never having the desire to taste something completely new, something that you really couldn't guess how it might taste before you actually put it in your mouth. Now, I've had kabobs and particularly Pakistani-style kabobs before, so this wasn't exactly an adventure. But at some point in my life it was, and the sensation of trying something new and great then simply led me to wonder what else might be out there that I might not yet know about. I don't cook with particularly challenging flavors or spices most of the time, and my all-time favorite foods are probably still pork barbecue (for another day), country ham, and steamed crabs. I think I understand the appeal of the familiar and the comforting pretty well. But I think I like those things all the more because they're part of a wide range of tastes and flavors. I'd love to hear more from a self-proclaimed "picky eater", if there are any out there reading this.