This has been a destination in Madison for me and my wife (from the Chicago suburbs) for over 8 years, but unfortunately today was likely our last visit. On our way out today I noticed the publications and awards on the walls are from 2008/2009, so it seems the restaurant probably peaked at that time or just after because it was incredible the first few years we visited.
We noticed some things changed for the worse when they moved to this current location from the former first floor location across the street with wonderful outdoor seating. The service quality went down significantly and the vibe completely changed.
Today we went for lunch around 2:00pm. We noticed a full house and over 4 minutes passed before we saw a single staff member to seat us. Apparently everyone came at once and some staff called out sick so they were short staffed. I recall this being an issue at our last visit a year or so ago as well, so I don't know that I buy that. The staffing issues caused every used table to remain dirty throughout our entire stay, and we were served by two different people (one frantic and one who seemed miserable being there.)
A few other things: the place needs a deep cleaning, they no longer serve their traditional Afghanistan bread that we loved and instead they now serve dry whole wheat pitas, the soup doesn't taste the same and instead tastes more like canned ingredients, it also didn't come with the yogurt sauce on top like it used to. The entrees were flavorful and enjoyable, but unfortunately too many things outweigh that positive for us to return.