Persian – ME SO HUNGRY

Sharing the space with Pizza Paradise in the Flatiron District, Taste of Persia is a great place to get a taste of Persian food.

The chef/owner is really nice, proud of his cooking and perhaps a celebrity. When I first walked in, there were Middle Eastern girls already there asking me to take a photo of them with the chef.

He asked me if I’ve ever been there. Nope. So he let me taste everything. Dude. The best thing is the Fesenjan (Walnut + Pomegranate + Chicken Stew). But I was there to get the Ash Reshteh soup that I’ve read about in NY Mag and the NY Times. Interesting. It’s minty, sour and a lot of of the flavors I’ve never had at once. Next time, I’d get the Fesenjan!

Actually, I ate here many months ago, because I was curious about Persian food, because I was dating a Persian girl. I stopped talking to her, because I wasn’t sure if she was really into me. I wonder if that was a good move, because I liked her. At least I had a taste of Persia.

Taste of Persia – 12 W 18th St (btwn 6th & 5th Ave) New York, NY 10011

I’ve been hanging out with an Iranian girl the last few months. I’ve never had Persian food before, so she was nice enough to take me out for a Persian feast! We went to Ravagh Persian Grill and she ordered for us.

First came out the bread with white sauce and chatni green sauce, which is awesome over the rest of the stuff to come.

Then came the Yogurt Soda she ordered for me. She said it was an acquired taste. Yeah, it is! LOL. Like a minty sour yogurt flavor with bubbles.

The Barg Kebob (juicy strips of angus sirloin in a special age old recipe) and Koobideh kebob (barbecued ground beef). Some good meat here, especially with those white and green sauces.

And she ordered the best dish –Khoresh Fesenjan (crushed walnuts with boneless chicken cooked in pomegranate paste). This seriously is the best stew you can put on rice.

Shar (that’s her name) also told me about this condiment that was on the table. Ghoreh powder which is made from the sour grape plant, which is poisonous or something. I don’t really remember the whole story, because I showed up drunk to dinner. But I did sprinkle it on my food occasionally. I didn’t die.

Persian food is really good. It’s like a lot of different flavors I’ve never really had before combined –sour, tangy, fruit-sweet, spiced, with the texture of tender or charred meat. …Shar meat!

Ravagh Persian Grill – 11 E 30th St (b/t 5th Ave & Madison Ave) New York, NY 10016