The Helmand

One of Baltimore's culinary gems is The Helmand, an Afghan restaurant on Charles Street. It's owned by a brother of Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, and I swear that while you are in the restaurant you will overhear at least two different people mention that fact or ask server if that's true. (Our server politely told us that yes, that's true and Karzai is the server's uncle, too)

So Afghan cuisine is seriously delicious. For an appetizer, we ordered what everyone says is the must-try: Kaddo Borawani - "Pan fried and baked baby pumpkin seasoned with sugar and served on yogurt garlic sauce." The pumpkin is super sweet, and on its own is pretty gross. But topped with the sauce, the sweetness is balanced out and while I couldn't imagine eating one on my own, but it was perfect to share. I do admit that one bite was more than enough for me. We also got an eggplant - Banjan - appetizer, cooked with tomatoes and that delicious Afghan spice and served with the yogurt garlic sauce.

And for the meals... I had the Lamb Lawand. Two days later as I think about this I am gushing. Menu description:

Boneless lamb sauteed with fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, and herb seasoning, topped with a dressing of yogurt and sour cream; and served with sabzy and challow.

The lamb just fell apart in my mouth and was so good; the mushrooms were kind of gross and looked canned. I wish there had been more sauce because it was so delicious on the rice; I was not a fan of sabzy - which is like overcooked spinach and not very flavorful.

I'm trying to be more critical rather than just gushing over food, but I actually loved The Helmand.