No Corkage in Kabul

I have been to the Afghan Grill in Adams Morgan probably a half dozen times now. And the service was awful each and every time. There is always a wait and the atmosphere seems perpetually harried and chaotic. The tiny 12-or-so-table restaurant is run like a third world country, but, man, is the food good. Afghan cuisine is a cross between Indian and Mediterranean. It's amazingly flavorful, but not too spicey (for those of you with a delicate g.i. constitution). Get the Aushuk (leek dumplings with yogurt and meat sauce) or the Kadu Buranee (sauteed pumpkin with garlic yogurt and meat sauce) as appetizers and share the exceptionally tender lamb kabobs.

Also, most places in the city commit highway robbery by charging corkage--a fee for the wine that you bring--of about $30 on average. But AG hasn't caught on to this ridiculous practice, so we bring our own wine (or beer) and they pour it for us, sans corkage. And the last time we went, we brought our own microbrewed beer...and at the end of the evening they gave us a couple complimentary bottles...just because. But I suspect it was for our troubles earlier in the evening, as we stood around for ten minutes as they hurried about trying to figure out which of the four open tables they should seat us at. Ah, this is what Kabul must be like...flustered inefficiency with a good heart.