Serving kabobs and more in Sterling
By Lynn Wolstenholme
When Nouhad Hamdan closed down his popular ice cream shop, Sweet Tooth, in Sterling, he knew he wanted to continue to serve delicious food to residents of Sterling.
On May 25, Hamdan opened Kabob Delicioso in the same shopping center off Enterprise Street in Sterling.
“Sweet Tooth did good in the summer but not too good in the winter,” Hamdan said. “But I wanted to do something for the family business, so I opened [Kabob Delicioso].”
Hamdan, his wife, Sanaa, and daughter, Noora, work at the restaurant.
“It has always been my dream and hobby to cook,” he said.
The restaurant, which still serves the exotic cold treats once found at Sweet Tooth, has a menu that is based on Lebanese, American and Latin cuisine. Sandwiches such as beef and chicken shawarma, kafta and falafel are mixed in with subs, salads and, of course, kabobs.
“The shawarma is my favorite,” Hamdan said. “No one else around here makes it. And we marinate [the beef or chicken] for 24 to 48 hours in a special sauce and then put it on a pita with hummus paste and tomato.”
Kabob Delicioso is designed to make customers feel they are far from Sterling.
“I did all the design myself,” Hamdan said, speaking of the decor and the mural of a village painted on the wall.
Hamdan added that the veranda painted on the restaurant wall was a little bit of nostalgia, reminding him of a time in his childhood when a girl he liked would stand at a similar window. And outdoor seating is available in a tree-shaded courtyard.
The inventory Hamdan incorporated from Sweet Tooth also draws from the flavors of foreign lands. Mango, peach, cantaloupe and maracuya (or passion fruit) ice cream -- 14 percent cream -- is served.
Hamdan hopes that Kabob Delicioso will draw a lot of customers, much like what he said Sweet Tooth did in the summer months a couple of years ago.
Kabob Delicioso offers catering and plans to add delivery service. Hamdan said he also is working on getting a Web site up and running.