I love Sheherazade Persian Grill and Dizi. Let me tell you why….

I am a big believer that to test someone’s true ability as a cook/chef is to test them on “simple” dishes. I mean, when you tell someone, I am grilling some meat, and eating it with rice and a salad you think, “oh I can do THAT!” Which I guess is true. Most of us can make rice, cook meat and chop up lettuce. But how many of us can make intricate and beautiful looking dishes that you may have to purchase a tweezer for; so that you can place tiny decorations around? Many think, “now THAT’s how you test talent.” That said, when you over-cook the meat, under-cook the rice, and overdress your salad, you begin to rummage through your cupboards and fridge for condiments and sauces to hide the mistakes. And that is the thing, the simpler the dish, the easier it is to spot a mistake. So personally, I am more impressed by simple dishes cooked perfectly, than fancy dishes with too many ingredients that looks like art on a plate.

And that is why I love Sheherazade; 3 simple items, made perfectly. The meat is tender, juicy, flavorful and it is not masked by sauces or spices. The rice is not hard nor soggy; it’s just the right texture with each grain separated from the other. The salad has a simple dressing that lets you still taste the freshness and natural texture but does not make you feel like you are chewing on leaves like a rabbit. I guess I also love this restaurant because the perfect meal to me would be the meal made by a loved one and it would normally consist of a meat, rice and a salad. I guess some can consider that to be a cultural thing. To me, eating here makes me feel warm and at home. When I want a meal that will never disappoint, I come to Sheherzade. It’s my safe haven where the food always hits the right notes.

Kal kabob

A rich dip of charred eggplant, crushed garlic, chopped tomato, ground walnut and pomegranate juice

Spinach Borani

dip of sautéed spinach, garlic and fresh creamy yogurt

Zeitoon parvardeh

The Rudbar-style (the northern village) zeitoon parvardeh, with whole green pitted olives, ground walnuts, crushed garlic, pomegranate paste, sprinkled with mint

One of my friends has a glutten intolerance so she could not eat the bread. So the chef fried up some rice for her to use for dipping. How thoughtful!

Zeitoon parvardeh

The Rudbar-style (the northern village) zeitoon parvardeh, with whole green pitted olives, ground walnuts, crushed garlic, pomegranate paste, sprinkled with mint

Jujeh Kabob

Fine, flat leaf-like cut boneless strips of tender chicken breast marinated in a lemon-saffron sauce and grilled on a skewer

Jujeh Kabob

Fine, flat leaf-like cut boneless strips of tender chicken breast marinated in a lemon-saffron sauce and grilled on a skewer

Kabob Bakhtiari

Strips of beef tenderloin alternated with boneless chicken breast marinated and grilled on a skewer, served with Persian style saffron basmati rice and grilled tomato (an extra skewer of meat was ordered here–extra cost)

Kabob Bakhtiari

Strips of beef tenderloin alternated with boneless chicken breast marinated and grilled on a skewer, served with Persian style saffron basmati rice and grilled tomato

Kabob Chenjeh

Some know it as Kenjeh or Tikkeh Kabob, this juicy beef tenderloin is grilled in chunks and served with Persian-style saffron basmati rice and grilled tomato

Jujeh Kabob ba Ostekhon & Zereshk Polo

This is the traditional Persian garden restaurant specialty; it consists of grilled Cornish hen, on the bone marinated in a lemon-saffron sauce, served with Persian-style basmati rice garnished with dried barberries and grilled tomato

Cannot remember the name of this dish, but I found it to lack in flavor and it tasted like it was left in the freezer for too long. I skip desserts here.