RESTAURANT - Shahrzad
A Taste of Tehran

by ROXY VARZA, staff writer

1422 Westwood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 470-3242

Sure, Iran hasn’t gotten the most positive media attention since the late 1970s but that doesn’t mean you have to stay away from Iranian food. If you have any respect for your taste buds, you’ll allow them to marvel in delightful Persian recipes, some of which date back to ancient Babylonia and Assyria. However, with the abundance of Iranian restaurants in Los Angeles it can be overwhelming knowing exactly where to go. If you’re looking for a place within walking distance of UCLA that promises scrumptious Persian dishes for decent prices, look no farther than Shahrzad.

Shahrzad is a family style restaurant with an elegant ambiance and stellar service. All servers have somehow managed to master both English and Farsi. If you don’t like to wait, make a reservation in advance; on weekends, this place gets packed.
If you’re not lactose intolerant, start by courageously ordering yourself the traditional Persian yogurt drink known as doogh. Doogh is a refreshing blend of ice-cold liquid yogurt sprinkled with crushed mint. For many, it is an acquired taste so if at first you don’t enjoy, try, try again.

By this time, you should have received your complimentary Persian flatbread, known as lavash. The lavash recipe dates back to ancient Babylonia and is baked fresh in the restaurant’s own traditional bread oven, known as a tanoor. While the server will bring out butter to accompany the bread, Persians traditionally eat lavash with yogurt sauces such as maast’o’khiar (with mint and cucumber) or maast’o’mousir (with shallot). Many also eat the bread alongside the salad-shirazi, which is a blend of cucumber, tomato, and onion jazzed-up with different herbs. A plate of chopped onion will arrive to accompany the bread and appetizers. If you want to masquerade as a Persian cuisine connoisseur, roll the onion into the lavash bread to dip into the sauces. You’ll fool everyone at the table.

Entrées can be the trickiest part of a Persian dinner. For anyone who’s not too adventurous with food, kabobs are always a safe bet. Kabobs are customarily served with gowjeh (grilled tomato) and a hearty portion of saffron rice. Chello or beef kabob comes prepared two ways: koobideh or barg. Barg is a leaner and flatter kabob, whereas koobideh is tender ground beef often blended with onions and spices.

For anyone who strays away from beef, there is joojeh or chicken kabob. Joojeh kabob comes with or without the bone and is often topped with a splash of fresh lemon juice. No matter what kabob you order, make sure to add a little sumac to your meal. Sumac, a mild, traditional spice, can be sprinkled liberally over the rice and meat.
If you are a bit more exploratory when it comes to food, try a khoresht or stew. Persian stews are routinely eaten alongside or over rice. Persian rice comes as berenge (raw seed) or as pollo (cooked), flavored with saffron, herbs, zereshk (cooked sour berries), and a wide variety other embellishments. With stews, you have even more options. If you are a novice, here are three favorites you may want to sample: ghormeh-sabzi (vegetable), bademjahn (eggplant), and fessenjahn. While almost all stews contain beef, many can fortunately be made vegetarian upon request.

You cannot leave a Persian restaurant if you have never tried ghormeh-sabzi. This stew takes a ridiculous amount of preparation, trimming cilantro leaves one-by-one from the stems. Cilantro, onion, kidney beans, juicy beef chunks, and other spices and herbs are blended together with the tangy flavor of fresh lemon and limoo omani (dried lemon) to create a mouth-watering flavor. Iranians take this dish very seriously.

Khoresht-eh bademjahn is probably one of the best ways there is to eat eggplant. The fried eggplant is simmered in lemon and tomato sauce alongside flavorful beef chunks, onion, herbs and spices, and ghooreh (sour grape). While the mere thought of fried eggplant may exceed some peoples’ calorie budget, every bite is completely worth it.

The reciple for fessenjahn couldn’t have been better engineered by Einstein himself. This combination of the most unusual ingredients somehow yields one of the most amazing flavors in the Persian recipe books. Tender ground beef is rolled in shredded walnut and bathed in a delicious pomegranate sauce. Darling vegetarians, this is one dish that cannot be made meatless so you will have to go without.

It may be difficult to save room for dessert but don’t disregard your sweet tooth. Bastani or Persian ice cream, which is flavored with saffron and rosewater, promises to end the meal with a refreshingly soft taste. On the other hand, the ooey-gooey zooloobia, a syrupy donut-like pastry, is something a little more traditional. No matter what you order, enjoy every last bite!