An interesting little joint in the East Village, Khyber Pass serves up some very tasty Afghan cuisine. I had some pumpkin kourma, which deliciously fell apart in my mouth, as I'm learning pumpkin is wont to do. I had some of my friend's butter-and-garlic pasta, which was a bit runny and slimy; flavour-wise, her entree beat mine, but texture-wise, my pumpkin kourma took home the prize.
We split some Afghani baklava, which was more like a crunchy, sweet, honey pastry, opposed to the less-sweet millefeuille-like pastry you find at Greek festivals. I was pleasantly surprised.
In terms of decor, the restaurant was close and cozy, filled with sultry red light against the red-brick walls, deep rich tapestries, and drawings that reminded me of the Bayeux Tapestry. Seating was largely at tables, but there were two window nooks where you could sit cross-legged on pillows and admire the passersby: great for a party with your twenty-something friends.
Overall, a good restaurant, which I would happily return to. The only drawback is that they allow hookah. For a non-smoker like me, that's fine so long as the hookah's on the other side of the room. It's not so fine when the table next to you lights up and fills the air with cloying smoke. We were there pretty early, and I imagine that hookah-smokers would appear later in the evening as more of an aperitif, so if you're ever in the East Village area looking for food off the beaten path, specifically on St Marks Street, give it a go.
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