Billed as a national dish of Afghanistan, Qabili palow turns simple basmati rice rich and delicious with sensuous spices. It's topped with carrots and raisins and a huge, flavorful lamb shank.
Just about every successful restaurateur worked hard to achieve that dream, but for some of our immigrant neighbors, that’s only half of the story.
Consider, if you will, an Iranian-born chef who learned Italian cooking at Vincenzo’s, then with his Afghanistan-migrant wife bounced from the upscale Italian eatery to a popular Italian food truck and restaurant that has now expanded into Louisville's first Afghan eatery: Bellissimo.
Bellissimo – Italian for “very beautiful” – rolled around the metro, attracting a growing following for its upscale Italian fare for six years before it grew into the Buechel space vacated by Dasha Barbour’s Southern Bistro, which moved downtown. That was about a year and a half ago, and almost from the start, Chef Abbas Jamshidi and his wife Mahboba Rasoli and their three grown children added an Afghan menu to the familiar Italian delights.
“Discover Louisville's newest culinary gem,” the owners exhort social-media followers: “Bellissimo serves up authentic Italian favorites AND is proud to be the city's first-ever Afghan restaurant!”
We took a quick look at the Italian menu during a recent visit, but it didn’t take long to zero in on the less familiar (to us) Afghan dishes. Nine main dishes are offered, each with a clear description of its ingredients and form. ...
Read my full review on LouisvilleHotBytes:
https://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/bellissimo-afghan
You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section this week:
https://www.leoweekly.com/food-drink/we ... d-16977875
Bellissimo
2217 Steier Lane
690-2040
https://facebook.com/bellissimo.lou
https://instagram.com/bellissimoisbeautiful
https://threads.net/@bellissimoisbeautiful
Noise Level: A friendly group talking at a neighboring table and quiet music in the distant background did not hamper conversation, with noise levels hovering around a moderate 65dB.
Accessibility: The restaurant appears accessible to wheelchair users.