"Last week, I turned to a tried-and-true favorite, the Pammy’s Bolognese, for takeout; this week, I wanted to try a restaurant I’d never been to. Ariana, the Afghan restaurant in Brighton (formerly in Allston), has long lurked on my list of restaurants to try, but for one reason or another, I never got around to it until now. I’m not especially familiar with Afghan food — I’ve been to the Helmand once or twice over the years, but that’s about it — so was eager to try anything and everything on the menu. Pumpkin plays a starring role on the menu, and we got it in the form of the excellent bowlawni kaddo: fried pastry shells stuffed with pan-fried baby pumpkin, onions, garlic, and other seasonings, with mint yogurt. Mantu was a familiar dish; this particular style of beef dumpling is prevalent in some other cuisines as well, and I’ve had (and loved) the Turkish version on various occasions. While Ariana’s didn’t physically hold up to delivery from Brighton all the way to Somerville, the signature pyramid-ish shape arriving a bit flattened in the box, the flavors were all there and all delicious. The surprise hit was the challow — Afghan rice — that came with the entrees. Not just a side of plain rice, it was deeply flavorful, and the extra (there was a lot!) made a great breakfast the next morning." - Rachel Leah Blumenthal
