Skewering fast food

Everything about Kabob.a.Licious seems poised for an expansive future.

Algonquin resident Javad Safari and his brother Kazem, natives of Iran, opened this Middle Eastern-inspired quick-service spot in Schaumburg with a couple of other investors just over a year ago, and, indeed, they're already hoping to expand to a second Schaumburg location as well as one in Naperville soon.

I hope they go far. It would be nice to find more places like this across America.

The food is fast, fresh, tasty, inexpensive and even reasonably healthful. The interior is bright and cheerful, with nicer appointments than you typically see at counter-service restaurants at this price level.

Marble-topped tables, wooden chairs, ceramic-tile floors, a steel and marble counter and bright-red walls hung with colorful food photos make this place much more agreeable for dining in than typical fast-food restaurants.

I'm not quite sure where the line falls, technically, between fast food and quick service. Maybe it requires a drive-through? There isn't one here, and although you order at the counter and the food comes out rapidly, much of it is made more or less to order.

Figuring out the offerings on the menu board can be a little complicated -- Kazem Safari said they plan to streamline things soon -- but once you break things down, it's fairly simple: Kabob.a.Licious offers kebabs. (Don't worry about the spelling differences. Whether it's spelled kebab, kabob, kebap, kibob, shashlik or souvlaki, it's all the same thing: pieces of meat cooked on skewers.)

Choose from seven types of char-grilled kebabs: chunks of beef (an option called "shish kabob" here); morsels of lamb steak; cubes of breast of chicken, regular or "spicy"; squares of tofu with red and green bell peppers; beef koobideh, seasoned ground meat hand molded onto skewers; and chicken koobideh. Kazem Safari says they start from fresh, never-frozen meats.

Then decide what you want with your protein.

The kebabs can be ordered in your choice of five presentations: as a sandwich, wrapped in house-baked bread with chopped lettuce, diced tomato, bits of feta cheese and a small container of yogurt sauce; with a salad featuring sliced, fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, plus hot, fresh bread and yogurt sauce; on a bed of basmati rice with grilled vegetables (typically a couple of wedges of tomato and onion), fresh bread and yogurt sauce; in a double-skewer entree portion, served with fresh bread, rice, grilled vegetables and a side of must o'khiar (a thick, Iranian yogurt-and-cucumber spread flavored with mint); or unaccompanied as an add-on to other meals.

The food comes attractively arranged on red melamine plates.

Most of the sandwiches cost about $5. The most expensive entree, two skewers of lamb, is $12.95, and well worth it. The nicely grilled meat, tender, juicy and flavorful, was my favorite of the varieties. The beef koobideh also had plenty of flavor and a good texture.

The so-called spicy chicken, however, was in fact quite mild, and a little dry for my taste, though this wasn't as noticeable with the yogurt sauce dolloped on.

What really sets Kabob.a.Licious apart from the run of Middle Eastern places is its bread. It replaces the typical, traditional pita bread with Indian-style naan, freshly baked to order on the premises in a clay-lined tandoor oven.

You can be sure these flatbreads are freshly made, because you can watch the baker rolling them out and slapping loaves onto the sides of the oven for baking right behind the counter. It comes out hot, puffy and lightly crisped. I can't say this is the best naan I've ever eaten, but it's certainly the best bread of any kind I've ever had in a fast-food restaurant.

It's also ideal for scooping up the appetizer spreads, of which there are four: must o'khiar; a similar yogurt spread flavored with shallots called mooseer; hummus, a simply seasoned version tasting mainly of the chickpeas that are its main component; and a very good version of baba ghannouj, made from well-roasted eggplant and seasoned pleasantly with garlic.

A trio of salads also features: Shirazi, which is mainly cucumbers and tomatoes; a Greek salad with feta and olives; and a garden salad. You might also consider starting with a plate of falafel, listed on the vegetarian menu. The deep-fried chickpea cakes come out in a sort of pressed-muffin shape, with a kind of industrial quality to them, but they have plenty of crunch.

Vegetarians can find several options, including the tofu kebab; a deep-fried veggie cake made with celery, carrots, beans and cheese; and a sampler plate including baba ghannouj, hummus, falafel and a tofu skewer.

For dessert, there is baklava, fine but nothing special. Drinks are typical sodas, plus hot tea and bottled water.

Kabob.a.Licious doesn't offer a long menu, but its bill of fare makes a fine change from burgers and fries, at not much higher a price.

Kabob.a.Licious

Kingsport Plaza, 937 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg, (847) 352-2000, www.KabobaLicious.com

Cuisine: Middle Eastern-style kebabs and fixings with a twist

Setting: Cheerful, well-appointed, quick-service spot in a strip mall north of Wise Road

Price range: Appetizers $2.95 to $3.95; sandwiches and entrees $2.95 to $12.95; desserts $1.55

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Accepts: Major credit cards

Also: No alcohol; free parking; halal zabihah meats