Tag Archives: Persian food

This lamb breakfast stew is like a Persian dip sandwich, bro!!!

So, we’re hanging out at Takht-e Tavoos, this funky little Persian joint at College and Dufferin. Now, this place is only open on the weekends, and only from 10 to 3, so you’re not coming here for lunch or dinner — they serve breakfast and brunch only.

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Now, one of the most popular Persian brunch dishes is this lamb stew called Abgoosht, or Dizi (named after the stone pots they cook it in), and there is some assembly required. What you do is pour the broth into a bowl, and then take this metal masher, and mash up the rest of the ingredients like so. It’s actually kinda therapeutic — take that, chickpeas!!!

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And here’s where it gets really funky. The proper way to eat this dish is to put the remaining meat mixture between two pieces of bread, and then dip it into the broth. So it’s kinda like a French dip sandwich…except it’s Persian. And man, if you love lamb as much as I do, it’s definitely worth the extra effort to put it all together, bro!!!!!!!!

Middle East beef stew feast @ Queen of Persia

With all the different cultures that call Toronto home, it’s safe to say not every restaurant is closed for Christmas — which is great when you’re a Pastafarian. (Dude, I’ve been touched by his noodly appendage, bro!!!) So, we’re hanging out at Queen of Persia, this cozy, family joint serving up comfort food classics from all over the map of Iran. Sure, they’ve got kebabs — five different kinds, bro —  but the menu has so much more…like this classic Persian dish, gheymeh nesar:

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This super-tender beef stew is cooked with barberries, almonds and a hint of orange peel, for that added tangy sweetness. Plus, it comes with enough rice for at least three people — but you KNOW it’s just dinner for one in Flavourtown, son!!!!

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Now, the beer selection is pretty limited here — and they were all outta Moroccan Brown Ale — so I went for a couple Pom Pom Martinis instead:

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This ain’t yer grandpappy’s Manhattan, captain! This pomegranate and rose water martini is garnished with even more pomegranate…cuz you can never have too much pomegranate!!!!

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Now, I gotta say, I was pretty full after all that rice, so I barely even had room for dessert. These two little pieces of homemade baklava sure hit the spot, though!!!

 

 

 

This massive Persian meatball tastes like peace in the Middle East!

So, we’re hanging out at Tabriz Persian Cookhouse, this funky, modern Persian joint up around Bay and Wellesley. Now, you know I loves me some shawarma, but this place is a little more fancy than the shawarma shop across the street, bro. They’re serving up stuff like roast lamb shank, saffron chicken, and this Bomb.com Iranian delicacy, koofteh tabrizi:

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OK, now let’s break it down. You’ve got a massive mound of meat, with fresh herbs, berries and walnuts, and a hunka-hunka burning plumb hidden in the middle. They serve it up in a bowl with a tomato-based broth, and a side of cucumber and tomato salad. Now, I think it mighta been better if you could pour the broth overtop, or maybe had some bread to soak it up…but still, I would put these big balls in my mouth any day, bro!!!!

This Persian-style burger is completely popping with flavour!

So, we’re cruisin’ down Dundas on Saturday, and it’s raining lions, tigers and bears. I forgot to put the top up on the Camaro, probably cuz I was still drunk on tacos from last night, so right now I’m wetter than a widowed wallaby in wintertime, and I need to stop somewhere to get out of the rain. That’s when I spotted this friendly neighbourhood Persian place over by the AGO called Sumac Kabob Kitchen.

Now, they’ve got all kinds of Middle-Eastern comfort food at this place–they even have a Persian poutine!–but it was the nine-dollar burger special that caught my eye. These days, I’d eat pretty much anything for nine bucks, bro…unless maybe it was vegan. And this ain’t no Burger King, two-for-five-dollar deal sammy either, son. Feast your eyes on this thing of beauty:

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The beef was nicely seasoned, with some nice Middle-Eastern spices to it. You’ve got lettuce, tomato and red onions, and those shawarma-style pickle spears that I really dig. Then they poured a buncha garlic sauce on top, and put it in a pillowy potato bun–nothing wrong with that at all! My only complaint is that the sign said it also came with fries, but there were no french-fried potaters on my plate. That’s like Grand Theft Potato in Flavourtown, bro!!!!!!

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