By Dennis Chu on November 24, 2014 • ( Leave a comment )

SILVER SKEWERS

Address: 2788 Old Washington Road, Waldorf, MD 20601

: Lamb and beef kabob, served with roasted vegetables and saffron rice.

When it comes to cuisines, there are several that I generally frequent more than others: Chinese, Mexican, Italian, American, to name a few. Once in a while though, it’s nice to branch out and give something different a try. I’ve had some good experiences with Middle Eastern cuisines before, once in California and once in Virginia. When I saw that there was a well-reviewed Persian restaurant up in Waldorf, I was very interested to give it a try.

It was a Saturday evening that I stopped into Silver Skewers with my friends Mike, Tina, and Kyle before catching a movie. It might not look like much from the outside, but once you stepped through the doors, it’s almost like you walked into someone’s home. It was a rather quiet night at the restaurant, and we were seated immediately by two gentlemen that were working up front.

Glancing over the menu, it’s clear that the restaurant specializes in kabobs: a wide array of meats and seafood options fill the menu, where you can choose one, two, or even three, depending on how hungry you really are. I opted for the lamb and beef kabob; for me, lamb dishes done well are harder to come by, so I had high hopes for this one.

The meal started off with bread served with butter and tandoori sauce (blended spicy vegetables and herbs), along with a house salad. Although it made for an odd combo, I really liked having some of the bread with the tandoori sauce. After the main course arrived though, it was truly time to test out how good the kabobs were. I took a fork to cut the lamb and it was tender enough that it collapsed under the slight pressure of the fork. Oh yeah, that’s a good sign right there. I took one bite of the lamb, and it practically melted in my mouth. It was spiced perfectly and had that roasted flavor you’d expect from a kabob. The rice was a nice side, made with long-grain basmati rice spiced with saffron and garnished with lemon peel shavings. The roasted vegetables were rather average, and needed another pinch of salt in my opinion. I gave the beef a try after having the lamb, and while it didn’t hit the same level as the lamb did, the meat was still tender and juicy. Next time, I’d probably go with a double order of the lamb, since it really was that good.

Silver Skewers is a restaurant that is kind of tucked away, but great to visit if you’re in the mood for something different. Now I know the place to go if I get a craving for some lamb again.

Here are my rankings for Silver Skewers:

Food: 4.25 / 5
The restaurant specializes in kabobs, and I definitely get that impression after the two that I ordered. However, it seems like the other sides were only average compared to the kabobs.

Atmosphere: 4.5 / 5
The decorations are very subtle, but I enjoy how they give you that feeling of stepping into someone’s home. This is accentuated by the front door of the restaurant, which was the same that would be used in an average neighborhood home. I would say the atmosphere might even border on the upscale casual side of things.

Service: 3.75 / 5
Although the owner was very personable when she stopped by our table to talk to us and ask us about the food, the other two gentlemen who took our orders and served our food were rather uninterested and didn’t seem to have a knowledge of the menu when we asked them for recommendations.

Price: 3.5 / 5
For $23, I was expecting a little better with the portion size. If I was dining in the heart of D.C., I could see that price point being average. 40 minutes outside of D.C.? Not as much. I think a price in the $18 neighborhood would have been better for that plate.

Overall: 16 / 20 (80%)