Restaurant: Afghanistan Khyber Pass Location: 523 University Avenue San Diego, CA Phone: (619) 294-7579 Price Range: Didn't note, but judging by the total amount we paid, main courses were probably around $15.

Number of visits: 1
Last visit before review: December 2, 2000

Randy had: Greek salad (baby lettuces, bell peppers, onion, olives, feta, creamy herb dressing), lamb stewed with spinach (with herbed green rice, zucchini and potato).

Jeff had: Five bean soup, mixed kabob (lamb, beef, and chicken with brown, green, and white rice, zucchini and potato).

We shared: An order of Afghan bread.

Rating 8 (of 12) Good

Jeff says: The bread was good. The five bean soup seemed a bit spicy or something. It made me thirsty.

Randy says: The bread was bland, but it was good with cilantro chutney, which I requested, although the chutney was a little more vinegary than I prefer. Jeff's soup was very flavorful. I liked the Greek salad because it had such a variety of baby lettuces, not just romaine.

Jeff says: The mixed kabob was good. It was even better when I dipped all the meats in Randy's creamy herb dressing, which was delicious (he didn't use the entire container of it on his Greek salad). Randy's stewed lamb was bland, but it was much better also dipped in the leftover dressing. All the rices were fine-grained and separate, which I like — not swollen and sticky like Japanese rice.

Randy says: The stewed lamb was good, but needed more seasoning. On Jeff's mixed kabob, the lamb was a little tough and gamy. The beef kabob was ground, which I didn't expect and don't really like. The chicken was a little tough and dry, but not too bad. We both got the same zucchini and potato slices as vegetables, which were minimal.

Afghanistan Khyber Pass moved to this location from a different part of town. We once had lunch at the old location in Kearny Mesa and didn't realize that this new Hillcrest restaurant was the same place. Besides moving to a more upscale trendy area, the new location has an equally upscale and trendy interior, complete with a waterfall.

The staff was friendly and, except for at the end of our meal, attentive. It was a slow night the evening we visited, and when we were done with our meal it seemed all the staff vanished while we waited for our cheque. The only other criticism is that when the waiter asked if we would like some Afghan bread, we did not realize it was an extra cost item ($2) because we have eaten at another Afghan restaurant where the flatbread is included with every meal.

Although we would probably not make a special trip to Hillcrest for it, if we are meeting friends in the area and looking for a dinner spot, we would be open to visiting Afghanistan Khyber Pass again.