272317 Sun Feb 12 05:05:29 -0800 2006 3 17 What's My Craving? 0 1433450 Can anyone recommend a restaurant that serves exceptional Persian cuisine in the five boroughs or beyond? I have a vehicle and am interested in any location within a 100 mile radius (including Philadelphia). Other preferences: $30 or less per person (excluding drinks). Thanks! S Sun Feb 12 05:05:29 -0800 2006 0 Saoirse Sheehan 1 1433456 Pars, a new place in Chelsea, sounds like a find. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/boards/manhat/messages/237568.html Sun Feb 12 17:54:33 -0800 2006 1433450 0 squid-kun 1 1433457 squid-kun posted a link to my verbose report back on pars. i think it's the best iranian food in manhattan. but given the options here, that's not saying much. persepolis has great chicken kabob and good koobideh kabob (ground meat). i'm not in love with them otherwise. the other players in new york include ravagh (i'm not a fan), kolbeh (never been), and the persian tea room in long island (never been; got good reviews on this board a while ago) since you're willing to travel, there's great afghani food at silk road in warren new jersey--their doogh beats out persepolis and pars, and their koubideh kabob is great. (i go when visiting my family; don't make a special trip) if you do find something "exceptional" please please do report back Sun Feb 12 18:57:51 -0800 2006 1433450 0 freddie 1 1433460 I'd have to agree that Pars is probably the best bet for Persian food in Manhattan. I haven't been to the other places mentioned in this thread for a couple years, but I was fairly unimpressed in my past visits. After disappointing experiences at most of the NYC Persian restaurants, I just tend to wait to get these items when I get out to LA. But Pars seemed promising. I took a group of Persian food newbies and I was afraid to get some of the more traditional dishes, like fesenjon, or the ghormeh sabzi as it may not have been the best match for members of my group. But we did get the kabab sampler (for 2) which included the traditional items like barg and koobideh, along with chicken and lamb chops. We also got another of the stews with beef and eggplant, and a polo (flavored rice) dish with orange and almonds. We also started with a couple of eggplant appetizers. The bread that came out was freshly baked and was a hit with the group. The eggplant appetizers were gone quickly as we dipped and scooped them up. My tablemates were impressed with the kababs as they were well flavored and perfectly cooked to maximize their best textures. Good kobideh. They were also suprised by the amount of rice that came out crowding our table as we tried to share everything. Be aware taht for each entree, there's an accompanying big plate of rice (also nice fluffy and buttery). My tablemates were also quite impressed with the polo dish, but I was slightly disappointed that the orange flavors were more muted than I've had at the better LA places. Still good, and if you've never had these polo dishes, you should try them to get a good idea of the sophisticated use of sweet and savory flavors that are incorporated in Persian cuisine. I wanted to get the one with sour cherries, except it was vetoed by one of the group. I'll have to try that one another time. The chicken that came with the polo dish was slightly disappointing, as I thought the breast section was dry and flavorless. The stew with the beef and eggplant was also good, though less memorable than the kababs. The large cuts of beef made them needlessly grainy in texture, I thought. In LA, one of my first destinations is Mashti Malone's, a Persian ice cream parlor, so when I saw that they made their own ice cream at Pars, I was excited to have some. I usually get things like saffron rosewater, or orange blossom ice cream at Mashti Malone's, but all they had at Pars was a pistachio ice cream. They give you a generous scoop, and it's nice, with a hint of some spice (I think cardomom) in there, but slightly lacking in pistachios. We also ordered the faludeh, but I think it was much too strange for the table, and I ended up trying to eat all of a huge bowl on a cold night. Faludeh is a sweet frozen dessert consisting of noodles and lemon ice. Though I'm probably pickier than most, I did enjoy my meal at Pars, and will try to get there again soon to try the other traditional items I missed out on, to get a better picture. Mon Feb 13 01:41:53 -0800 2006 1433450 0 Eric Eto