Evening at Shiraz Kitchen and Wine Bar :: Persian (Chelsea)

This is the group's first Persian restaurant. Chosen because it is new (October of 2020), the reviews are outstanding and they are listed as Bib Gourmand on Michelin.

From an Eater article:
Most of the apps are served with pocket pitas. Every entrée — which falls into two categories: grills and stews — comes with a delectable form of Persian rice (most often saffron basmati), but for an extra charge of $4 to $6, you can get one of four composed rice dishes as a supplement. The one I liked best was flavored with orange peels and dotted with pistachios and almonds, but others involve fava beans, lima beans, sour cherries, and barberries (a berry native to Iran that tastes like a tart currant).

Our three entrees included a platter of grilled chicken and lamb chops, which arrive pretty much blackened but still flavorful and moist, and a dish of beef meatballs in a thick pomegranate sauce that was more mellow than sweet or tart, conferring a reddish color to the brown gravy. This dish, known as fesenjoon, is more often made with chicken. Best of all was a magnificent lamb shank ($25) with richly textured flesh that came heaped with sauteed red peppers and onions, and a thin gravy that we didn’t know what to do with — until we dumped in on the rice.

Of the desserts, one stands out: halvah and ice cream ($10). Crumbly pistachio halvah — a dessert that may have originated in Persia as early as the 7th century — crumbles around the plate, while standing upright are bright orange obelisks of saffron ice cream, eaten by coating spoonfuls of ice cream with halvah. Really, I can think of no better dessert to go with the last sips of a bottle of wine.

12 wines are available by the glass (priced at $12 to $16). The bottles range from $45 (for an Italian Pinot Grigio) to $490 (for a 2015 Opus One from Napa Valley), with markups more modest than most wine lists.

I have reservations for 12, which may be separated into 2 tables. Please only RSVP if you are planning on coming due to the limited number of spots. We may able to get additional seats if there is space available in this highly rated restaurant.

********* New Rule *********

There is now a 72 hour attendee cancellation policy. If attendees do not cancel 72 hours in advance on dinners that have a waitlist, they will be moved from the attendee list to the waitlist on future dinner events.- which nobody wants. I don't want to have to police the group, but I also want to provide people who want to come the opportunity.

If you sign up for the event and get on the waitlist, you will have a better opportunity to come and get notification enough in advance. Meetup automatically takes people off the waitlist in the order they said Yes to the event when someone cancels.