388419 Wed Apr 04 15:34:16 -0700 2007 19 2 Los Angeles Area 0 2451336 Recently, I had chicken kabob at Shamshiri, Flame and Shaherzad on Westwood Blvd. and here are my impressions. I didn't like the kabob at any of the restaurants. I assume the problem is that I just don't like Persian-style kabob. It tastes completely different to me from Middle Eastern kabob, which I love. However, of the three restaurants, the kabob at Shaherzad was notably worse -- overcooked and dry. Even though the flavors were not to my taste at either Shamshiri or Flame, the chicken was not overcooked at either place. For all three lunches, I had salad with my kabob, not rice, so I can't comment on the rice at any of the places. The lettuce used in the salad at Flame was noticeably fresher than at the other two places. The salad at Flame was a bit strange, however, since it had a fair amount of grapes and mango mixed with the lettuce. Both Flame and Shaherzad use a thick white dressing for their salads. I preferred the vinaigrette they use at Shamshiri. (If only I could take the dressing from Shamshiri and put it on the lettuce at Flame, and leave out those grapes and mango, then I would have a delicious salad). The Persian ice tea at Flame was so good it made me ecstatic. The ice tea at Shaherzad was flavorless. I didn't try the ice tea at Shamshiri. Ambience wise, I would put Flame first, Shamshiri second and Shaherzad last. (The service was nice at Shaherzad, however). Shamshiri is the only one of the three restaurants that offers hummus, but I found their hummus unappetizing -- gritty and flavorless. I don't think I would try Shaherzad again, given the overcooked chicken and listless salad. I might give Flame another try, if only for the ice tea. I might also give Shamshiri another try. By the way, I have a Persian friend and the only one of the three restaurants she likes is Flame. She says the bread is great, although I didn't try it. Wed Apr 04 15:34:16 -0700 2007 27951 omotosando 1 2451359 Thanks! I live around here and have been so indecisive about where to go first. Based on your review, I think I'll skip the kebabs but definitely grab an iced tea at Flame soon. Wed Apr 04 15:39:53 -0700 2007 2451336 11577 Pei 1 2452063 I'm trying to think of other options to suggest, and the only places that I can come up with are in the Valley (e.g., It's All Good, Shirin, Green Cottage, and other restaurants). However, if you have an aversion to Persian kabob, then I can barely come up with anything, since I am truly not very familiar with Arabic food. Both cuisines would be qualified as Middle Eastern, although they are different from one another. Wed Apr 04 19:40:54 -0700 2007 2451336 57689 katkoupai 1 2452239 If you're willing to eat beef, i'd say give Shamshiri another try. The beef kabob (barg, I think it is?) is amazingly tender. I usually get the beef kabob combo when I eat there, with rice (just rice... nothing outstanding). I agree with your assessment of the hummus, as i've been unimpressed the two or so times i've had it. I don't know that i've noticed a difference between "Middle Eastern" and "Persian" kabobs... is it the spices? cooking method? Wed Apr 04 20:46:04 -0700 2007 2451336 16492 Devourer 2 2461862 slight variances in cooking method, spicing. i love both but really feel that persians make better kabobs, while arabic food has the edge with the mezze. the real issue is that more often than not restaurants don't properly exemplify the cuisine so unless one has had the authentic versions one doesn't know better Sun Apr 08 17:13:52 -0700 2007 2452239 15114 epop 1 2461837 "For all three lunches, I had salad with my kabob, not rice, so I can't comment on the rice at any of the places." This is mind blowing to me...Not eating rice with persian kabob is pretty much but butchery at it's worst. It is essential to eating ANY persian food... 2nd, hummous is NOT used in persian cuisine. My mother in fact told me she had never eaten it in her life until she moved to Los Angeles in 1979. So I would really skip ordering it next time you go to a persian place... I've been to Sharezad numerous times (including today) and the kebob is fantastic. Keep in mind there are numerous ways kebob is cooked there. Barg and koobideh for beef...Ground, whole and boneless for chicken. You should also really try some appetizers such as cucumber yogurt, egg plant and most importantly Tadigh topped with persian stew. BTW is there any reason why your SN is omotosando and not omoTEsando? Sun Apr 08 16:57:23 -0700 2007 2451336 39262 ronnie_gaucho 2 2461868 Ronnie, I agree with you. Persian rice is heavenly and an essential part of Persian cuisine. Also you are right about hummus-- it is Arabic, not Persian, but they do serve it at Shamshiri. I happen to like the hummus, kabob, rice, salads, mast (yogurt), and basically everything I've ever ordered at Shamshiri in Westwood. I eat there a couple of times a year, and plan to continue eating there. I also like the way it looks inside, because they have modern art by local Persian artists hanging on the walls. My family also enjoys Shahrzad (just ate there on Thursday, in fact). I have never tried Flame. Also, get the Shirazi salad, instead of the regular salad when eating at Persian restaurants. The Shirazi is made with cucumber, tomato, onion, fresh herbs, olive oil and lime or lemon juice. It is my favorite salad on earth. Mast-o-mouseer is also good (yogurt with shallots), eaten with raw onion and pita or lavash bread. Yum! Sun Apr 08 17:15:23 -0700 2007 2461837 57689 katkoupai 3 2461952 great point about the shirazi salad...although i think javan make the best one in west la imho... oh and did I mention the bread at Sharzad is a must! Sun Apr 08 17:52:06 -0700 2007 2461868 39262 ronnie_gaucho 4 2461956 I must give Javan's Shirazi salad a try. I know my dad likes Javan. (I think my dad has eaten at every Persian restaurant in Southern California.) Thanks, Ronnie. :) Sun Apr 08 17:55:37 -0700 2007 2461952 57689 katkoupai 5 2576312 Give Javan's salad combo a try. Along with the wonderful Shirazi salad comes the best stuffed grapes leaves I've ever had. Wed May 16 19:05:18 -0700 2007 2461956 18031 Dogbite Williams 6 2576364 Thank you for the suggestion. I will keep the dolmeh (grape leaves) in mind the next time I'm in that area. Sounds good. :-) Wed May 16 19:26:27 -0700 2007 2576312 57689 katkoupai 2 2461978 I dunno. I do perfectly fine eating Middle-Eastern style kabob with salad rather than rice, so I'm not sure why Persian-style should be different. Does rice actually make the meat taste better? The meat should be able to stand on its own. I try (not always successfully) to limit simple refined carbohydrates (such as white rice) for health reasons, and I actually like salad, so in general I would pick salad rather than white rice if given a choice (and I believe each of the three restaurants gave me a choice - rice or salad). I'm well aware that hummus is not Persian. But since Shamshiri saw fit to serve it, I saw fit to order it there. It just didn't happen to be any good. But I would assume that a person of any nationality could make good hummus if he/she set his/her mind to it. I don't think it is in the genes. Maybe I hit a bad day at Shaherzad, but my boneless chicken kabob was definitely overcooked - as in dry, with burnt spots. I may not be an expert on what Persian kabob is supposed to taste like as far as spice and flavor, but overcooked chicken is overcooked chicken. BTW my SN is omotosando and not omoTEsando because I have a poor ear for foreign languages - it always sounds to me like the subway conductor is saying "omoto" not "omote." Sun Apr 08 18:15:38 -0700 2007 2461837 27951 omotosando 3 2462024 Some Persian restaurants also give a choice of half rice, half salad nowadays, due to the fact that people are concerned about carb intake. Sun Apr 08 18:39:05 -0700 2007 2461978 57689 katkoupai 3 2462269 Looks like my last post magically disappeared...So for whatever reason...Ill just post this short quote from wiki: "Chelow kabab is a national dish of Iran. The meal is simple, consisting of steamed, saffroned Basmati or Persian rice (chelow) and kabab" NATIONAL dish...Try it with rice (with a little butter) and order some proper appetizers before you knock it... Sun Apr 08 20:56:01 -0700 2007 2461978 39262 ronnie_gaucho 4 2558906 Yes, I went back to Flame again yesterday and I think it the best of the Persian restaurants on Westwood Blvd. They claim to use organic ingredients and, at least in the salads, you can really tell the difference between Flame and the other restaurants. I like the bread better at Shamshiri though, but since man or woman does not live by bread alone, I still wouldn't go back there over Flame. Thu May 10 12:44:41 -0700 2007 2557267 27951 omotosando 3 2559017 at shamshiri i genrally order the gormeh sabzi (sp?), a spinach stew. they always serve me both rice and salad. fwiw, i have NEVER found the hummus at shamshiri to be gritty. Thu May 10 13:16:59 -0700 2007 2461978 11935 westsidegal 4 2560227 there is no spinach in a proper gormeh sabzi (which i believe they serve) Thu May 10 19:49:13 -0700 2007 2559017 15114 epop 1 2576293 Since so many people on this Board seem to like Shaherzad so much, I decided to give it another try today for lunch. As with my first visit, the service was excellent. Since I didn't like the chicken kabob when I went last time, this time I ordered lamb kabob. And since I have learned that ordering a lettuce-based salad at a Persian restaurant (with the exception of Flame) is like ordering a salad at McDonald's -- not advised -- I got my kabob with rice. The rice tasted fine, but it didn't make the kabob taste any better. The lamb was tough and gamey. I ate a third of it because I was hungry and hadn't had breakfast, but then I just couldn't eat any more. The very nice waiter waiter was concerned when I didn't want it packed up to go, but since he certainly was not responsible for the poor food, I just told him I was on a diet. Two tries of this restaurant are enough for me. Wed May 16 18:58:54 -0700 2007 2451336 27951 omotosando 2 2737018 Here is a tip next time you order kebab at a Persian restaurant. Try one of the "bargs," they usually have beef barg or chicken barg. It is the most tender cut available, i.e., filet. However, if you are one of those people who orders filets past medium, you will never find a tender cut anywhere because filets don't have enough fat in them to stay tender when cooked well done. Tue Jul 10 14:25:40 -0700 2007 2576293 14558 Ernie 1 2736239 I had lunch at Shahrzad recently. The food was excellent, and the freshly made bread was a treat. Yum! I also stopped into Flame. I will try it the next time I'm in Westwood. The interior of the restaurant was beautiful. Tue Jul 10 11:26:05 -0700 2007 2451336 57689 katkoupai