Nooshe Jan... Farsi for Bon Appetit :)

Last week I explored a new cuisine, Persian! I was extremely enthused since one of my friends, Sahar, is from Iran. We have enjoyed many meals together and when she mentioned eating Persian, it only seemed fair to try her culture’s food. 


The restaurant name, which I have no idea how to pronounce along with MOST of the dishes on the menu, is Maykadeh Persian Cuisine. Not only are the reviews favorable on yelp, but they also hold a Michelin rating. Michelin, to me, is the top of the top. If it’s Michelin rated, I am overjoyed to go there!

Tires, Restaurant Critic, or Both?- Click here to find out

Sahar took the reins and ordered some apps and entrees to be shared family style by our group. (There were 7 of us, Greg had to stay behind & study booo!) All I requested was to not have any part of the Lamb Tongue, Head, or Brain on the menu…lets leave that to Andrew Zimmern! On to the food....

The appetizers we ordered:

Shirazi Salad- Diced cucumber, tomato, and onion with olive oil & lime juice. This reminded me of a fresh Mediterranean salad. Delicious none-the-less!

Kashke Bademjan- Eggplant, mint garlic sauce. Its texture was Baba Ghanoush/Hummus style. In my opinion that texture can be somewhat deceiving, but the dish was very flavorful. It made for a great spread using the Persian Style Flat Bread that was served on the table.

One Item I found particularly interesting came with the flat bread. A plate consisting of fresh basil leaves, radish, raw onion, and feta. Everyone seemed to make a little sandwich with it and I followed suit, sans the raw onions ;)

The entrees we ordered:

Joojeh, Koobideh, and Barg Kabobs. Joojeh: boneless chicken thighs marinated in saffron, onion, and lime juice- EXCELLENT. I am not one to order chicken at a restaurant since it can be made at home, but the seasonings & juicy-ness were just remarkable. Koobideh: mixture of beef, lamb, onion, & Persian spices. The flavor was really good but the way the meat fell apart made it easy to tell it was a combination of ground meats. Lastly, the Barg Kabob. Barg: Filet Mignon marinated in lime juice and onion. Can’t go wrong with Filet Mignon YUM!

Kabobs ready for consumption!

Zereshk Polo: chicken thighs, barberry, and saffron rice. The chicken again, was just fantastic!! The saffron rice was fluffy & moist, but the barberry mixed into the rice was very tart. It looks like a dried cranberry but the taste is very different, very tart. 
*Click here to read more about the tart berry

Khoresht Fesenjoon: chicken thighs in a pomegranate sauce that Sahar called a stew. I can’t stress enough how on point the chicken is here. The pomegranate sauce was quite subtle but yet bold in flavor… odd given pomegranates have a distinct taste, really really good dish tho!

Lastly, we ordered Basmati rice with saffron for the table. I am a rice lover, so I heavily enjoyed having rice with my meat. Sahar mentioned most people typically add more butter to this dish, so I did, and I mmm’ed my whole way through eating it!!

Starting from the roasted Tomato going counter clockwise: Saffron rice with barberries, chicken with pomegranate sauce, Koobideh, Barg, & Joojeh kabobs, Basmati Rice with Saffron.

Overall, the Service was impeccable, the place was very clean, & the corkage fee was low! I happily ate my food and chatted away with some great company :)

Oh and not to mention a few glasses of vino down the hatch on a Wednesday night is a fabulous way to get rid of that weekend itch!!

My very first post!!!!


Hi bloggers :) I am so excited to FINALLY be sharing all my foodie adventures. I have wanted to start this for months and it is actually happening!!!! 


As you can see in my introduction, I grew up loving Italian. My family is Italian and that is definitely my mother's specialty. My mom is one of those magical workers that can pretty much take any recipe/idea and just make it outstanding! However, I have to say her Italian is just fantastic and it is what I know & love!!!!! 


Not surprisingly, most of my kitchen skills come from my mom! It took me until my 2nd year of college to realize I wanted to do more than just defrost a frozen dinner or go to the cafe at school ;) Therefore most of my kitchen knowledge came over the phone- which is extremely hard to do when your mom is Italian. I say this because Italians do not use measurements! It is by taste, by eye, and by what your grandmother taught you! 


It seems I was able to gain enough from our phone cooking dates & now I have graduated to foodie status. I am no expert but I do love to cook!...sometimes it works... other times i learn my lessons... but one thing is for sure, I ♥ FOOD!

Italians really enjoy Antipasti and it is a great way to start a family gathering. The key to some of these simple dishes is finding the place that carries the best meats, cheeses, and products! I actually believe that in all aspects of cooking. I do not think you have to buy the most expensive, I just think you should pay attention to each and every ingredient. Ask your grocery store employees for help, ask for a taste of a certain product, and find the flavors you like & want to come out in your meal :)

Roasted Red Peppers, Olives, & Burrata

Various types of Salami & Provolone