Grandpa's back in the kitchen, with his highly seasoned touch

Some folks just aren't cut out for retirement. Abdul Karim Qureshi is one of them.

A chef for more than 35 years, Pakistani-born Qureshi may be best remembered for his Marco Polo restaurants in Edmonds, Mukilteo and Redmond. When he sold Marco Polo, he fully intended to retire, says his grandson, Adeel. Instead, he opened Usmania Tikka Kabab on Aurora Avenue, north of Green Lake, but closed it last summer when the Qureshi clan headed north to open the current Usmania on the northernmost edge of Mill Creek.

It's a family affair — serving highly seasoned, home-style Pakistani and Middle Eastern cuisine — with three generations involved: grandpa runs the kitchen with grandma's help; the friendly young men who wait tables and keep your water glasses full are their grandsons; the rest of the extended family pitches in as needed.

All the food is halal, meaning prepared in accordance with Islamic tradition.

Usmania

13416 Bothell-Everett Highway, Mill Creek; 425-379-0203

Pakistani/Middle Eastern

$$

Hours: lunch 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; dinner 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays.

No liquor / credit cards: V, MC / no obstacles to access.

Rating: recommended.

The draws include a long list of curries ($9.95-$12.95); beef, chicken and lamb kebabs ($10.95-$13.95); and specialties such as nahari, beef braised with ginger and jalapeņo ($10.95). For starters you'll find samosas, pakoras, baba ganoush and hummus ($3.95). Less adventurous palates needn't panic: There's a fine fettuccine Alfredo, made with fresh pasta, as well as lightly seasoned, butter-sauced chicken alternatives.

Dinner entrees are scaled down in size and price at midday, when you can also order gyros, falafel or rolled sandwiches made with flatbread stuffed with grilled meats and salad ($4.95-$6.95).

Call ahead for take-out. But plan to eat in — at one of the white-clothed, glass-topped tables in the sunny-yellow and brick-red dining room — if you want to properly enjoy the wonderful naan, large rounds of hot, blistered flatbread best eaten fresh from the tandoori oven. And if you'd like a peek at how they make it, just ask. Grandpa has been known to give tours.

Check please:

Hummus: This creamy spread is fresh, bright and gently garlicky.

Mulligatawny Soup: A bright-orange broth with red lentils, rice, bits of diced chicken and enough heat and spice to keep each spoonful interesting.

Royal Tikka Combo: This is a trio of grilled kebabs. Though the chicken boti revealed a slightly rubbery texture, the spice-rubbed chunks of lamb boti were toothsome and tender. Seekh beef, ground meat intriguingly seasoned and rolled like a sausage, was the most assertively flavored.

Mango Lamb Curry: A sweet and sultry stew of fruit with chunks of meat simmered in a thick, aromatic sauce. Both entrees arrived with fragrant rice pilau and delicious, delicately roasted cauliflower, broccoli and carrots.

Baklava: This beautiful pastry, with finely chopped nuts flavored with honey and cinnamon, came to the table warm. Alas its leathery quality suggests it may have been microwaved.

Ice cream: Kulfi, a Pakistani favorite made with rose water, is an acquired taste. Mango is almost too luxurious, its texture like whipped butter interrupted with a few too many ice crystals.

Itemized bill, meal for two

Hummus $3.95

Cup of Mulligatawny Soup $1.95

Royal Tikka Combo $13.95

Mango Lamb Curry $13.95

Baklava $3.25

Ice cream $3.50

Tax $3.61

Total $44.16

Providence Cicero: providencecicero@aol.com