Tasty Satisfaction At Alex's Shish Kebab

Restaurant review Alex's Grill Shish Kebab, 620 S.E. Everett Mall Way, suite F400, Everett. 513-1884. Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday. Visa, MasterCard accepted. No smoking.

In the part of the former Soviet Union that lies between the Black and Caspian seas, shashlik - better known as shish kebab - is king.

If you ever find yourself in Azerbaijan, be sure to try the skewered meats, marinated and spiced and broiled. But when in Everett, put yourself in the hands of some practitioners of the Armenian branch of this regional cuisine at Alex's Grill Shish Kebab.

And prepare to be satisfied.

Alex's occupies a sunny if undistinguished storefront not far from the Everett Mall. It has seating for about 20, and plastic cutlery and plates.

You can get off pretty cheaply at Alex's, depending on your degree of hunger. At the lower end are the delicious sandwiches, smallish portions of shish kebab - prepared meats in pita bread with lettuce, tomato and parsley. The traditional gyros ($3.29) combine beef and lamb with cucumber, yogurt, lemon and a garlic or tahini (sesame) sauce. They're great. Problem is, I always want two.

You can also get sandwiches like the kafta kebab - ground beef mixed with onion, parsley, tomatoes and spices. Or the lamb shish kebab sandwich, also $3.29.

But it would be a shame to miss the side dishes and appetizers here. The hummus ($2.99), a smooth and harmonious mixture of garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice and garlic, is served in a prodigious mound with pita. Tabbouleh ($2.85), coarsely chopped parsley, tomatoes and mint mixed with cracked bulgar wheat, is dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. The flavor is fresh and startling. The rice side dish ($1.79) combines fragrant grains with ground beef, pine nuts and cinnamon.

The best deals are the plate dinners, which combine some of these treats and up the portion ante on the meat. My favorite is the lamb kebab ($7.99), with four skewers of tender cubes of lamb, well spiced, served over a heap of the rice (or fries) with hummus and either tabbouleh or salad and pita bread.

There can be a tendency here to overcook the lamb; if you like it pink, be sure to request it that way.

The chicken kebab gets a similar treatment with the same side dishes, but at this price ($7.99), I wish it were white meat rather than dark, or that a choice was offered.

Vegetarians can enjoy the falafel plate ($7.99), discs of garbanzo bean mash mixed with parsley and onions and grilled like a burger. The grape leaves ($7.99) are filled with parsley, rice, tomatoes and mild spices.

From the dessert menu, I would recommend the baklava (99 cents), fillo dough filled with a sweet walnut mix; or mtabah (99 cents), the same pastry filled with cream.

Maybe someday the folks at Alex's will have actual silverware and real plates, and dress the place up a little. But for now, camping out in a storefront with a couple of smoky and satisfying kebabs on the fire is certainly nothing to complain about.