A sure way to empathize with people is to share their food. It brings a uniqueness to a culture that is palpable, a sensory connection that helps with an understanding of what a place may be like.

I have been waiting to review Sabri Nehari for several pula pula inflavel months and ended up eating there a week before the earthquake in Pakistan. I ate there this past weekend again. The food is terrific.

To me Pakistani food in general is a bit different that Indian.
Northern Indian and Southern Indian are very different also. But to
keep it simple I would note that Pakistani food is usually oil based
like Northern Indian where, usually, Indian has lots of dairy, yogurt, etc.

At the tail end of the review of the sukiyake at Sunshine Cafe I had hoped that Sabri would be half as good… It’s better.

The vegetable samosas are huge cones of dough, more like a pakora, with
an awesome – but spicy – potato-veggie filling. The beef samosas are
also spicy and very good with a thinner crispier shell. They will let
you get two of each in an order instead of four of the same.

The Nehari is as good as I remember it being. It’s chunks of braised
beef in a gravy that has a wonderful demi-glace-ginger-fusion quality
that is fragrant, rich and spicy. It is totally unique and wonderful.

The chicken makhani is dangerous. It is chicken with a butter sauce. It
arrives looking like orange-salmon colored paint. I don’t know whether
it’s the red curry or a coriander flavor or something but it is
marvelous. My co-eater is a Chicken Tikka Masala connoisseur and says this
is a better dish. It is super rich but wonderful.

The portions are very good, and the service is excellent. The attention
is given to the food and while the decor is not the point the ambiance
is there. It is an authentic dining experience down to the prohibition
of alcohol. No BYOB allowed.

Sabri Nehari
2511 W. Devon
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