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| - I came here with a party of five for a friend's birthday on Saturday. We had reservations for 5:30pm to 7:30pm, the only time slot available due to a week's advance booking. Once we've got there, I understand why? It's a small restaurant with about 20 tables' tops, meaning very limited tables for large groups. So make reservations!
I've had Middle East cuisine before at pot lucks and small take out shops. Never in a restaurant, if you count "The Sultan's Tent & Café Moroc" and "BerBer Resto Bar Lounge."
The ambiance was surprisingly delightful because it wasn't your usual mom and pop shop; it was upscale and modern with nice touch to details (china, place mats, decoration, and lighting) A place to bring newbies to experience Persian cuisine, great for dates.
The Service was gracious and attentive since most of us have not had Persian cuisine, being an Asian group of girls it was obvious that we didn't know what to order. Our server was happy to explain and elaborate the items on the menu. He provided lots of suggestions around what our group liked to eat and recommend what type of appetizer, entrée, and salads will pair well together.
The amount was generous and great for sharing; we ordered 4 entrees and 3 appetizers.
For appetizers we've ordered 2 Mirza Ghasemi (smoked roasted eggplant, tomatoes, eggs, and garlic) and Stuffed Grape Leaves (similar to Greek Dolmades) as appetizers. The eggplant was creamy and dressed with finely chopped mint and shreds of caramelized onion with smoky flavour/taste. The grape leaf was warm and tasty (I don't normally like Greek Dolmades, but this was delicious) because it was doused with honey and lemon juice that gave them a little sweetness. They also provided complementary pita, honeyed walnuts, feta looking cheese, and fresh parsley and mint on the table.
For our entree we've ordered the Sultani Kabob Combo (Persian style barbecued lamb, chicken or beef), Shishlik Kabob (all meat, all fat, or alternating pieces of meat, fat, and vegetables such as bell pepper, onion, mushroom and tomato), Chicken Leg Kebob, and Fensenjan Stew (pomegranate juice and ground walnuts) The kabobs was moist and nicely spiced to my liking, nothing like the ones you get a Mr Greek or Friendly Greek. You can taste the spices, especially saffron and lime. The kebobs came with 5 half cut roasted tomatoes. The roasted meats definitely made my day! As for Fensenjan stew, it wasn't your typical western stew. I couldn't tell if there was meat in the stew because there was nothing visible to the eye (not sure if it was blended but it was lumpy and possibly some kind of ground meat) We had mini lamb chops (think it was part of the combo) and it was cooked exactly to medium rare, didn't have the nasty lamb smell. With the entrees, we all had a generous plate full of basmati rice with saffron (fluffy and airy) which complemented the meat and stew wonderfully.
For beverages, they had a great selection of wine however no beer on tap. Just bottles, didn't bother me that much. I ordered Organic Mill Street beer. Would've preferred a bottle of wine but my friends don't drink.
To end dinner, we brought homemade/decorated cupcakes for our friends' birthday; they were generous with keeping it aside for us. We ordered Persian tea (black tea with cardamom and saffron) to complement the cupcakes which was a perfect match, didn't even need milk or sugar. But if you're a tea drinker, you don't need anything in the tea. I was stunned on how good it was as a combo with black tea, cardamom, and saffron.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience and food. The service was impeccable; our waiter was attentive and informative. The bill came to $146.90 which was reasonable. I would defiantly come back again.
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