Saturday, September 15, 2012
Beef or Chicken? My first Persian experience...
So for some weird reason I got this wild hair and I wanted to try Persian food. And since I didn't even know where to start when it comes to cooking Persian food I decided to begin with eating it. I did some research...which was pretty challenging since there are 3 Persian restaurants in my area...and I chose the one with the best restaurant reviews-Char Fasal in Agoura Hills.
I took the trek to Agoura for my Persian food experience. I truly did not know what to expect, but I was pretty sure I would see some pita bread and maybe some hummus. The first problem was the restaurant had been sold 3 months ago and now was called Maral-House of Kabobs. So my iphone was a little confused and so was I until the random woman in the parking lot bailed me out. She also provided me with some food recommendations...except this is what she recommended and um yeah not so great. It was a yogurt/cucumber dip with currents and nuts and dill on top....kind of bland.
The restaurant was light, bright, had linens on the tables, live music and was pretty classy. BTW, the ambiance included live music that included everything from bad 80's music with a Persian flare to well Persian music. There was also a large screen tv with a Persian newscaster that had a big forehead.
The waiter greeted and seated with ease and a big smile. He had a thick accent and wouldn't make eye contact which had me convinced that this was a family business, he had grown up on baba ganoush, probably knew how to ride a camel, this restaurant was his pride and joy and he learned how to walk in this kitchen. Boy, was I wrong!!! I kind of had a mini-waiter crush on him just because of the accent, the smile, the bad outfit and the endearing awkwardness.
After a night of banter with the waiter including allowing him to pick the food off the menu and stories about the restaurant changing owners and how he had been with the original owner...yada, yada, yada...he even went on to explain that when he smiles it makes people happy and its contagious. Damn I thought we were soul mates especially since he was 5'2" on a good day and I claim 5'4" on a good day...thought this was a perfect combo. Yeah well at the end of the night a simple "so where are you from," shattered my dreams...hmmm he was from Mexico. Dag nab it!!! However, I have decided I loved the food and hell I would go back in a heart beat.
Although I loved the primary waiter there was a random girl that came around to the tables and talked to people. And since the menu wasn't extremely accurate. For example, it listed wine and their liquor license was pending so wine was not available. Oh and get this there was a wine rack with wine visible but not available for sale...it pretty much was a wine tease...just saying. Anyway back to the random girl who looked like she was 16, had a nose ring, wore Converse tennis shoes and although she was extremely enthusiastic you just weren't really sure where she fit in...she came up to the table and when I asked her what she recommended she said,"well we have chicken and we have beef." Thinking she knew her menu I pretty much thought I had the option of chicken or beef until my friendly Mexican buddy told me about the lamb...thankfully.
The lamb was by far some of the best lamb I have ever had. It was cooked to perfection, truly melted in my mouth and it was served with basmati rice. There were 2 varieties of rice, one with saffron and the other with an herb mixture that consisted of 2 types of parsley, dill and something else green. It was great and the portions were huge!! I also had to try the hummus and the baba ganoush which was awesome!
I also learned a valuable lesson, when going to a Persian restaurant you probably shouldn't wear shorts, heels and a tank top because when I got up to use the restroom the patrons of the restaurant stared. And I am pretty sure it wasn't due to my overwhelming beauty, think they may have been thinking,"dang what a whore." Got it...maybe a little too much skin for a Persian restaurant...my bad!
Cheers...well cheers with water until their liquor license is approved!
I took the trek to Agoura for my Persian food experience. I truly did not know what to expect, but I was pretty sure I would see some pita bread and maybe some hummus. The first problem was the restaurant had been sold 3 months ago and now was called Maral-House of Kabobs. So my iphone was a little confused and so was I until the random woman in the parking lot bailed me out. She also provided me with some food recommendations...except this is what she recommended and um yeah not so great. It was a yogurt/cucumber dip with currents and nuts and dill on top....kind of bland.
The restaurant was light, bright, had linens on the tables, live music and was pretty classy. BTW, the ambiance included live music that included everything from bad 80's music with a Persian flare to well Persian music. There was also a large screen tv with a Persian newscaster that had a big forehead.
The waiter greeted and seated with ease and a big smile. He had a thick accent and wouldn't make eye contact which had me convinced that this was a family business, he had grown up on baba ganoush, probably knew how to ride a camel, this restaurant was his pride and joy and he learned how to walk in this kitchen. Boy, was I wrong!!! I kind of had a mini-waiter crush on him just because of the accent, the smile, the bad outfit and the endearing awkwardness.
After a night of banter with the waiter including allowing him to pick the food off the menu and stories about the restaurant changing owners and how he had been with the original owner...yada, yada, yada...he even went on to explain that when he smiles it makes people happy and its contagious. Damn I thought we were soul mates especially since he was 5'2" on a good day and I claim 5'4" on a good day...thought this was a perfect combo. Yeah well at the end of the night a simple "so where are you from," shattered my dreams...hmmm he was from Mexico. Dag nab it!!! However, I have decided I loved the food and hell I would go back in a heart beat.
Although I loved the primary waiter there was a random girl that came around to the tables and talked to people. And since the menu wasn't extremely accurate. For example, it listed wine and their liquor license was pending so wine was not available. Oh and get this there was a wine rack with wine visible but not available for sale...it pretty much was a wine tease...just saying. Anyway back to the random girl who looked like she was 16, had a nose ring, wore Converse tennis shoes and although she was extremely enthusiastic you just weren't really sure where she fit in...she came up to the table and when I asked her what she recommended she said,"well we have chicken and we have beef." Thinking she knew her menu I pretty much thought I had the option of chicken or beef until my friendly Mexican buddy told me about the lamb...thankfully.
The lamb was by far some of the best lamb I have ever had. It was cooked to perfection, truly melted in my mouth and it was served with basmati rice. There were 2 varieties of rice, one with saffron and the other with an herb mixture that consisted of 2 types of parsley, dill and something else green. It was great and the portions were huge!! I also had to try the hummus and the baba ganoush which was awesome!
I also learned a valuable lesson, when going to a Persian restaurant you probably shouldn't wear shorts, heels and a tank top because when I got up to use the restroom the patrons of the restaurant stared. And I am pretty sure it wasn't due to my overwhelming beauty, think they may have been thinking,"dang what a whore." Got it...maybe a little too much skin for a Persian restaurant...my bad!
Cheers...well cheers with water until their liquor license is approved!
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