Persian | Iranian Christmas "Little Feast"!

Christmas in Iran. Why hello there! We're back! Thank you for holding vigils and candlelight in our absence. Adventures in Dining is ready to share some good eats together once again on a more regular basis.

Did you know Christmas is officially recognized in Iran and celebrated? The 25 days before Christmas are known as "Little Fast" with a full 25 day fast excluding meat, eggs and dairy products. On Christmas, the fast is broken and known as "Little Feast" but in fact, it's not such a little feast. It's a delightful spread of the ancient cuisine's specialties featuring meats and poultry.

We're going to celebrate Little Feast a little early and eat to our heart's content on Sunday, December 12th. If you've never had Iranian/Persian food before, now is the time to try it with a large, happy group. If you're already a fan of Middle Eastern food, you'll be quite comfortable here.

A Taste of Persia, or Flame Kabob as it now known, is owned by a strapping young gentleman from Afghanistan (right next door to Iran). This is the cuisine he grew up with his whole life and so he serves Persian food, the food he loves. His operation is spartan and heartfelt with cooks busily working behind the counter in a clearly visible kitchen. The restaurant is informal and casual but with a cozy feeling. The location lends itself to a dreamy view of airplanes landing across the street at the airport. Large picture story windows, a few comfortable couches and lots of spacious seating make this place a win-win-win (ding! ding! ding!). He's opening his fourth location here in Las Vegas soon. While other restaurants struggle to stay afloat, Flame Kabob is clearly serving good food fast and hot and so, they're doing rather well for themselves.

Pricing here is ridiculously reasonable with items starting at a couple bucks and most entrees under $10.

Most people will opt for kebabs because it's what they feel comfortable with. But if you'd like a little cheat sheet to what we recommend (hint: all their sides are fantastic!!), here goes:

Try the Doogh ($3), a yogurt drink with probiotics, mint and soda water. This is comfort food for Muslims. You might find it salty, tart and rather strange (hardly comforting) but it's a drink you won't soon forget. Looking for street cred? Doogh will do it. Kudos to you.

Shirazi Salad ($3): sometimes mistakenly called Israeli salad, this is really an Arabic salad made with cucumber, tomato, onion, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil.

Hummus ($3): this is the workmanlike version of hummus, hearty and thick. Expertly seasoned and a perennial hit.

Baba Ghanoush ($3): my fiance has never met an eggplant he can get along with. He has always tried baba ghanoush to humor me and then proceeds to politely tell me how awful and wretched it is. This baba ghanoush right here though? The man loved it and ate almost the entire bowl himself. Proof positive, this is no ordinary baba.

Saffron Rice ($3): Persians are funny about rice. I mean, it's only their staple food for centuries now. So yes, they take it rather seriously. Their prized rice is boiled and then steamed. The result is exceptionally fluffy rice with saffron, the most expensive spice in the world.

Mast-O-Khiar and Mast-O-Musir ($3): Yogurts, khiar made with cucumber and mint, musir with shallot mint. Both, extraordinary!

Dolmeh ($2): A steal! Five beautifully arranged stuffed grape leaves on a bed of greens and olive oil. The rice mixture inside the leaves has a very delicate aroma. Warning: these go down WAY TOO easy! You may want to spring for the whopping $4 and order two small plates for yourself. Lots of grabby hands will suddenly appear once these are around.

Tabouli ($2): bulgur wheat, tomato, olive oil, lemon juice, bell peppers - a really light, flavorful zesty salad.

All of these items are perfect with their fresh taftoon bread baked in a clay oven. There is nothing quite as satisfying as tearing off a warm piece of bread and scooping up any of these sides.

As for the kebabs, suffice to say, you really can't go wrong with any of them. We liked the veggie kebab with it's large colorful vegetables like yellow bell pepper, onion quarters, tomatoes and zucchini. But we kind of did a back flip for their tender ground lamb kebabs. You decide what you fancy.

You'll want to save room for dessert because it's like no other in the city. They serve a very traditional Persian dessert you will be hard pressed to find anywhere else in Las Vegas: Bastani-e Za'farāni ($4) or Persian Ice Cream. If you love rich, ultra-creamy ice cream, this is it. It's sweetened with rosewater and the rosewater really comes through but not in a cloying way. The rosewater flavor compliments pistachio and a mild hint of saffron. Talk about sophisticated and absolutely brilliant! Their ice cream comes the traditional way sandwiched between two large waffle wafers - it's like the most gorgeous ice cream sandwich you've ever seen in your life! Share it with a friend because it's huge. Ice cream in the winter works when it's this good, believe me.

There's also a great little baklava if ice cream isn't your thing but the ice cream will blow your mind. We can't say enough good things about it.

FORMAT: Order whatever you like, Pay at the counter. Debit and credit cards are accepted. Please save your Restaurant.com certificates for Flame Kabob for another time. We know you'll be back after you've tried it once. Prices are crazy reasonable and because we've asked for the entire restaurant to ourselves, we want to make sure we make it worth their while to host our group this time.

Christmas in Iran FRUIT EXCHANGE: They don't generally exchange gifts but new clothes are a big deal. Wear something new and bring a fruit to exchange! Leave one, take one. We suggest quince, pomegranates, apricots, plum, prunes, raisins, dates, figs, peaches, cherries, pears, grapes, melons. Can't find it fresh? Dried fruit definitely keeps with the Persian theme.