Shandeez

Shandeez

Written by Rachel Youens Wednesday, 07 November 2007

Persian restaurant offers dishes even for timid diners.

Most people don’t know what Persian food is let alone where the Persian Empire is. Now known as Iran, Persia was the name Westerners called this Middle Eastern area. The proximity to Asia, India and Greece infuse all of these tastes into Shandeez’s Persian recipes, so rice, goat cheese and flat bread are familiar ingredients.

The exotic names on the menu are intimidating, but the waitress was polite enough to not laugh at my pronunciation and the descriptions were thorough. The décor is pretty and peaceful, with deep red walls decorated with pictures of Iranian scenes.

Before the meal, a complimentary plate of naan flat bread, parsley, walnuts, butter, mint and feta cheese are brought to the table. The snack isn’t big, but it’s flavorful, and it keeps you from filling up before the meal.

If you’re used to your yogurt being strawberry flavored and coming in a little jar that says Yoplait, then the Maast-O-Khiar ($3.49) appetizer might surprise you. However, the unflavored yogurt mixed with cucumbers, raisins and mint is useful in clearing your pallet of the strong flavors in the rest of the meal.

Most items come served on a fluffy bed of basmati rice with bright yellow saffron on top. The Chicken Soltani ($13.99) will look familiar to those used to eating Greek Kebabs. It features skewered chicken, yellow with marinade, and steak surrounded by roasted tomato and lemon wedges. While the meat was flavorful, it wasn’t spicy.

The Sheerin-Polo with Chicken Tenders ($8.29) is one of the restaurant’s more distinctive dishes. Like the Soltani, it offers meat atop a bed of rice, but a sweet sauce of sautéed orange peels and almonds is poured over the top of the chicken. The sauce had a tangy effect similar to the plum sauce found in Chinese restaurants.

The variety of dishes on the menu, ranging from beef to Cornish hen ($8.99) to lamb, make the restaurant a meat-lover’s paradise, but they were able to work with the vegetarian in our party to make a meatless dish for about $7.50.

Persian cuisine is famous in part due to desserts. Some of Shandeez items come from the Dream Bakery just up the road, featured in Community Impact’s February issue. Others, such as the Baklava, juicy with honey, are made in-house.

One small last element about Shandeez that impressed me was the tea service. Most restaurants just give a pitcher of hot water, a cup and a tea bag, but the waitress came out with a full Iranian teapot atop a tealight, along with a heaping bowl of sugar cubes. Shandeez excels in the small garnishes that give a special experience in addition to a special meal.

Shandeez’s Persian food definitions

• Chelo - steamed rice that can also be mixed with almonds, saffron or carrots
• Khoresht - the common Persian name for stews
• Basmati - this variety of long grain rice gains its name from a Hindi word meaning “the fragrant one.” The rice stays firm and separated when cooked rather than clinging and clumping like other rice.
• Maast - homemade yogurt often mixed with cucumber

Shandeez, 8863 Anderson Mill Rd, 258-6464, www.shandeez.com

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