My first (Kabuli) time

Ever since 9/11 and the Department of Homeland Security and "Freedom Isn't Free" bumper stickers, I feel like anyone who says the word "Afghanistan" runs the risk of getting tackled to the ground and carried away with a pillow case over their head by one of Dick Cheney's henchmen. But that's because the country at large has forgotten that the bad guys are the Taliban, not the poor women in Afghanistan walking around in burkas and unable to drive cars without a male relative escorting them.

I'm glad that the social stigma hasn't yet affected Afghan cuisine in Baltimore. A sometimes out-of-town, sometimes Baltimore transplant of a friend was in town this weekend. I left it up to her to pick the restaurant and/or bar where we would meet up to catch up. She suggested The Helmand because she'd wanted to eat there since forever. I've passed it many a time, but have never gone in. I can't understand why I've never partaken... apparently the owners also claim Tapas Teatro to their list of Baltimore-based restaurants, and it's one of my favorites and most frequently visited.

I love food, but I can't say that I'm the most adventurous wannabe foodie. I'm more a creature of habit, so I didn't know what to expect. M and I got there right at 5 when the restaurant opened. We were seated and waited awhile for The Maestro to finish being important and come to join us. While we waited, we nursed two (very affordably priced $6) glasses of malbec. When The Maestro finally caught up with us, we ordered. M got the vegetarian special, The Maestro two very exotic appetizers in lieu of an entree, and I chose kabuli (a traditional Afghan dish consisting of roasted lamb, raisins, glazed carrots and pallow-- a traditional Afghan long-grain rice).

We barely had time to chat. I blinked my eyes and all of our food was sitting in front of us. Seriously... it maybe took them two minutes to prepare and serve our food. And the place was absolutely packed. I have no clue how they managed it. Everything we had was delicious. Mine was so good, I'm thinking about actually cooking and learning how to prepare the dish. M's veggie special was humongous. The Maestro had to help her finish it. But not like Outback-Steakhouse-huge-portions. More like Thanksgiving-dinner-at-Memaw's-house-huge-portions. Her plate was just packed with a bunch of interesting-looking, tasty options.

When it was time to settle up, the damage for three (super quality) meals and three glasses of wine was only $58. Any restaurant that keeps company with other establishments that consider themselves gourmet while I consider them overpriced and still manages to stay affordable AND delicious is an A+ in my book. The Helmand fits that bill. Whether you live in/near Baltimore or think you might visit one day, keep The Helmand high up on your list of places to visit.

After we were finished with dinner, it was such a beautiful night that we went two doors down to Donna's and bought coffees to enjoy outside in Mt. Vernon Square. You know Baltimore might quite possibly be the smallest town in a "big" city ever when all three of us ran into people we knew just by sitting there and sipping.

And now that I've Googled "Afghanistan," "burka," and "Saddam Hussein" to check my spelling, I'm probably on some Federal watchdog list.