Less than a week after my initial visit, I returned to Bhabi's Kitchen for a mostly vegetarian meal. At the end of my previous visit, I was nearly chastised as I left for not ordering the broccoli rabe and the pistachio naan. I promised I would return.
With an overpriced six-pack of Kingfishers in hand, my guests and I walked right in and were seated at an open table at the peak of Friday night dining hour. We ordered the broccoli rabe, Bahbi's special eggplant, and the pistachio naan. To this order we added a few of the dishes we loved from our previous visit (butter chicken, mutter paneer, samosas).
The broccoli rabe is a powerfully flavorful dish. Deep, dark, rich flavors of the vegetable are highlighted by garlic. After enjoying a few forks of it I moved on to the eggplant which nearly blew the back of my head off. Three whole baby eggplant in a sauce made from a variety of nuts and spices. The combination of flavors (and level of spice) made my eyes water. Luckily, the sweet crispy pistachio naan was there to save me. Mr. Syed informed us that the broccoli rabe and eggplants represent six hours of cooking time. "The longer you cook, the better the flavor," he said.Just before we left, Mr. Syed showed me their big tandoori oven in the kitchen while his wife rolled out more naan. As I was saying my thank yous and preparing to leave, they told me about more dishes that they're proud of that I have yet to try. I'll be back.
Check out Bhabi's Kitchen, 6352 N. Oakley, 773-764-7007. Street parking possible, BYOB. Call ahead if you're going to be more than 4 people.