Restaurant experiment: Makarios Kabob and Grill

Makarios Kabob and Grill

940 20th Street South at 10th Avenue South

Birmingham, AL 35205

205-731-7414

http://www.makarioskabob.com

I came to Makarios one Friday afternoon with Sara and Carey.  I’ve passed the place a zillion times and was looking forward to trying it out.  I was surprised that it was an actual sit-down place instead of those order-at-the-counter joints.  It was pretty busy, with the patio completely full, but we were seated in booths near the beverage station.  Our waitress was nice and checked on us enough but not too much.

There are a lot of entrees (for more than $10) on the menu as well.  Sara ordered one, and it came with a boatload of food because two sides are involved.  That was a bit too much food for me, so I went with something a little smaller.

I tried Carey’s hommous, and I thought it wasn’t bad.  There are plenty of pitas to go around (perfect for sharing), and they come out in little non-Ziploc baggies.

I ordered the shish kabob sandwich (well, it’s more of a wrap really) which was about $5, and then I added fries for just under $2 more.  The fries were airy and crunchy on the outside, so they were fine with me.  The wrap was okay.  I did like the lamb which had an appealing flavor.  However, the pickle were just weird and didn’t compliment the wrap well.  They kind of reminded me of the pickles on a McDonald’s cheeseburger.  Maybe nix the pickles and add more sauce?  And more lamb?

So all in all, Makarios is fine for a reasonably priced bite around UAB/Five Points, but it’s not divine food from the gods or anything like that.  And my friends will back up this statement, no doubt.

Restaurant experiment: Sitar Indian Cuisine

Sitar Indian Cuisine

729 20th Street South at University Boulevard

Birmingham, AL 35233

205-323-6500

http://www.sitarbirmingham.com

I’m not the best at reviewing Indian buffets mostly since I don’t remember what is what and what is the name of what, so this entry will be short and sweet.  Plus, I was here with colleagues so jotting down notes and such would be awkward.

Anyway, I’ve heard a lot of Sitar’s famous lunch buffet (website says they have it seven days a week), and I of course jumped at the chance to go one Friday afternoon.  Sitar apparently is a regional chain; the business card I snagged lists locations in Louisville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Huntsville, and Nashville.  Haha, I just noticed that Birmingham and Chattanooga are the only non-villes in the bunch.

I was worried we wouldn’t be able to be seated, but Sitar has a roomy space, and I was anxious for naught.  We were seated by a television which was broadcasting the weather forecast; a big storm was predicted for later, and folks were on edge.  [Spoiler: it was all overblown.]

I’m looking at the menu on the website, but I’m not sure what this bread was, but a personal standout  for me was this deep-fried and donut-like-but-not-sweet bread.  Mmm, fried bread.  I really liked everything I ate.  As with buffets, I was sad that I only got to eat a little of everything because I wanted to make sure I could try all of the dishes.  There are lots of options, sure to please veggies and non-veggies alike.  Sitar tones down the spice level for the buffet, but the dinner is supposed to be no-holds-barred; order spicy if you’d like.

Yay, dessert!  I delighted in some mango pudding with chunks of pineapple, as well as kheer.  If you like gulab jamun, the balls were up for grabs as well.  I dipped some of my mysterious fried bread into the mango, delish!  Hmm, I find it curious that I can remember the dessert names but nothing else.  That’s the sweet tooth talking!

The server and host were fine…plates cleared promptly, water filled periodically, smiling cashier.  That’s pretty much all you need with a buffet.  Two Birmingham Indian restaurants down, a few more to check out.  Good work, Sitar.