Persian Room
There are a lot of restaurants that many of us drive by without ever noticing or deciding to visit. On Scottsdale Road, just North of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard is perhaps such a place. They have been serving delighted patrons for the better part of thirty years and have many thankful faces for their efforts. The backside of the restaurant faces Scottsdale road, so as you enter the restaurant you may not be prepared for the beautiful décor. Prepare yourself for not only a comfortable evening, but a delicious meal as well.
Once you are seated, you are presented with a nice warm basket of fresh pita, butter, sliced onion and an herbaceous green. When I say fresh pita, I am not talking warmed up and brought to the table. From many vantage points in the restaurant you can actually watch the pita being made, cooked, and prepared for the tables. Try not to fill up too much on the pita as the portions are large and taste great when using the pita as an extra element to the plate. You can ask for more pita at anytime, so if you have a hearty appetite, enjoy.
The first item that we ordered was the Persian Room Appetizer Platter ($16.95). This is a great dish to share with a table of 3 or 4, as there is plenty to go around. It is also a great dish to share because it is served on a dish that rotates in order to get to each component. In the center is a serving of Torshi. Torshi is a diced mix vegetable dish that is all combined in vinegar. The ingredients in this one are carrots, eggplant, and cauliflower. Then the sampler has a few Dolmeh to grab on one of the outer edges. Dolmeh is a grape leaf that is wrapped around rice, onion, dill, mint and some other spices. It is finished off with the restaurants house dressing, to give it a bit of a tart flavor. It is delicious and as long as you are not opposed to tartness and mint, you will enjoy this small little pocket of flavor. The third item on the platter was the yogurt and cucumber dip. It is very similar to a Greek Tzatziki sauce, but this one has a smoother palate profile. The fourth part of the platter is the Hummus and Eggplant mixture. More robust than a traditional straight garbanzo bean hummus, this had tremendous flavor and when scooped on to the pita, with a little of the yogurt dip, was something to truly make you sit back in amazement. They finish the platter with a spring salad mix with a few big chunks of feta cheese mixed in. The platter was a great option as it allowed us to sample four of the nine total appetizers available to order.
All the entrées that we ordered this visit were served with an extremely large helping of the most exquisite Basmati rice that I have had the pleasure to eat in a long time. The first entrée was the Chicken Barg ($17.95). This is marinated boneless breast of chicken pieces that have been skewered and than charbroiled. The skewer is removed for presentation and a roasted tomato also is served along with the aforementioned rice. The chicken flavor is perfect and it is cooked to perfection. Just a little bit of char flavor along with allowing the chicken to still keep its moist and juicy texture to the bite.
The next entrée was the Chicken Shish ($17.95). Once again the same chicken preparation, but with the addition of bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes to the skewer for the cooking process. The added ingredients add another flavor dimension to this dish and have the added bonus of being included on the plate as well. Once again you also have the large helping of rice to round out the dish.
The final entrée we ordered was the Gyros ($13.95). This was an amazing dish. The beef is seasoned and then broiled on a spit for cooking. It is then sliced into thin strips and served with the rice and their homemade gyro sauce. The tenderness of the meat was only beaten by the flavor. The supple meat had so many aspects to rave about, but the sauce really tied the whole dish together. It was smooth with a little bit of tartness. When you take a piece of the warm pita, gyro, some rice and a dollop of the sauce, it is an amazing journey of flavor.
The menu is quite well rounded offering a lot of chicken, beef, seafood, and lamb dishes. They also have quite a few vegetarian options available, and unlike some other restaurants, they do not seem like an afterthought when the menu was planned. All of the wait staff was extremely friendly, quick and efficient. We were amazed at how responsive they were, especially on a Friday night while the restaurant was full. You will want to make sure the next time you are shopping in North Scottsdale and are looking for something unique to eat, to think of this hidden gem of the desert.
Location and Website – 17040 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85255 http://persianroom.com