Kabob House chef Magdy Soltan with some of the restaurant's specialty meats, lamb and chicken. Gene Dalton | The Roanoke Times

It may be too soon to say whether Kabob House, the new Middle Eastern restaurant in Blacksburg, is here to stay. Opening a new restaurant is notoriously difficult but that doesn't seem to worry Sayed Elsayed, one of the Kabob House owners who opened its doors four weeks ago. So far, business has been pretty good, he said.

I hope Elsayed makes it because Kabob House, as far as I know, is the only Middle Eastern restaurant in Southwest Virginia, which makes it a welcome addition to the area's ethnic dining scene. Some may define the fare as "Mediterranean," although it bears little resemblance to anything you'd find in places like Italy, France or Spain.

If the place is going to survive, it's going to have to pass a series of tests, a few of which appear below.

TEST #1: How's the food?

Pretty good. Elsayed has lured his childhood friend Magdy Soltan to run the kitchen and the results aren't bad. Both men grew up in southern Egypt but Soltan went to work in restaurants in Manhattan while Elsayed became a developer in Blacksburg. At Kabob House, Soltan serves up Middle Eastern classics, such as tabouleh, baba ghanouj and shawarma. It's pretty standard but tastes great. The day I went, the lamb was just tender enough, the rice pudding was nicely drenched in rose water and the mango juice was reasonably fresh. But the real star was the baba ghanouj, which came with delicious chunks of eggplant swimming in tahini. Some places puree the eggplant into a mush and mix it with the tahini, which creates a chunky tahini. Here, you can actually taste the eggplant, which gives the baba ghanouj a really fresh taste.

TEST #2: How's the crowd?

The day I went, there were about a dozen other people in the dining room over the course of my lunch. Six of those were members of the Blacksburg Rescue Squad who seemed to be enjoying themselves. At one table, a lady raved about the food to her waiter and promised to return and to tell all her friends. A good sign. The place seemed to be doing a brisk take-out business as well.

Elsayed said he's been surprised by the response to his restaurant's opening.

"I can't believe it," he said. "I just opened the door."

It probably helps that the restaurant sits next door to the Oasis World Market. Not to mention the fact that Elsayed has located his restaurant near a huge university.

TEST #3: Ramadan

This is probably the ultimate test. In a way, everything Elsayed and Soltan do in the next three or four months is a trial run before Ramadan, which starts this year in October. Ramadan, a month of the Muslim calendar, is marked by fasting during daylight hours. But once the sun sets, Muslim families gather for Iftar, the breaking of the fast. Many Iftar meals take place at homes or in mosques but quite a few are also held in restaurants. And the Kabob House is bracing for the day the local Muslim community brings its discriminating palate to the restaurant. Soltan said he will probably have expanded the menu by then. There may also be daily specials as well, he said, which may or may not be written on the menu. That's reason enough to come back in a few months when the chef hits his stride.

WHAT'S THAT?

A glossary of menu items

Kofta: Beef meatball with onion and egg.

Tabouleh: A salad made with chopped parsley, tomatoes, onions, olive oil and lemon juice.

Humus: A paste made with chickpeas.

Shawarma: A sandwich made with shaved meat, vegetables and all sorts of spices.

Tahini: A paste made with sesame seeds.

Baba ghanouj: Tahini with chopped up or pureed eggplant.

Baklava: A pastry made with crushed nuts and almonds in phyllo dough.

KABOB HOUSE

Rating: **** (mostly for having the guts to introduce the area to a new type of ethnic food)

Menu: Middle Eastern, some subs

Where: 1405 S. Main St., Blacksburg

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon-9 p.m. Sunday.

Adult beverages? No

Plastic? All major credit cards accepted

Smoking? No

Takeout? Yes

Delivery? Yes

Reservations? Yes (but unnecessary)

Live music? No. The place is too small.

Call: (540) 953-0090

What the stars mean

***** Excellent. A one-of-a-kind experience.

**** Very good. Memorable menus accompanied by exciting environs and/or savvy service.

*** Good. Solid places that beckon with generally appealing cooking.

** Just OK. A place not worth rushing back to. But, it might have something worth recommending: A view, a single dish, friendly service, lively scene.

* Poor. Don't waste your money here.