but: a basmatti having been soaked, rinsed & soaked for a couple of days, becomes the most fragrant, fluffy and tasty starch imaginable. By all means try a couple of the unusual side dishes the Iranians seem to have brought...

I heartily agree. These are the top two Persian Places in the area. If you love strong flavors, then also at Rose Cafe is roasted garlic, torshi , stuffed grape leaves. Shamshirry in Tysons, Rose in Vienna.

a pickled taste to it as well – like a cross between salsa verde and torshi. I could and did eat this straight. Rice, normally a strong suit in that part of the world was served a bit wet and tasteless. Fortunately they...

and Gifts. Maybe I should say he is select with his offerings. I mean there was enough to buy: a kosher Israeli mango pickle, really terrific not outlandisly puckery homemade torshi (pickles), grape molases, but I would have...

. The supple meat is deboned and set aside, and the beans and other ingredients are mashed. The meat is excellent, great flavour, tender, but I found the mashed beans to be only good not great. Will have to order this with herbs...

Aside from kabobs, Shamshirry has a few appetizers like torshi, mast-o-khir, bademjan, and three or so different kinds of rice. That’s all for the regular menu. Many kabob places will also have a daily special, though they...

pickled garlic/torshi *Kendall Sq Mulan – very good Taiwanese cooking, along with dishes from all over as can be typical of Taiwanese places

the way you describe, with the crusty bottom. Also, recipes for the things I wanted to know how to make after eating them in restaurants: Beef & Eggplant Khoresh, Tabbouleh, Fatoosh, Torshi, etc.. As for the ground meat, I think...

, maybe after quaffing some of that too yellow pickled "torshi", something plain is in order. I certainly does not make someone more or less a chowhound to not like as much a style of food. I’ve gotten on my high-horse...

-e bulbul and at Shahrzad flame. The torshi are GREAT (homemade) at Canary. The bread is great at Shahrzad as is the shirazi salad, which is weak at Canary. I think there’s a world of difference. Shawarma – still love...

Rose Cafe is my favorite Persian in the area. Start off with torshi, garlic roasted in balsamic, mast-o-khir, bedamjan, and then move onto the beef and eggplant stew with potato sticks or the lamb shank (if available).

. It is definitely worth splurging on multiple appetizers here like the torshi (pickled vegetables), the garlic roasted in balsamic syrup, and the shirazi salad. If you call in advance, you may be able to reserve the tahdig...

iranian garlic pickles (seer torshi) - the longer they pickle, the darker and softer they get. you have to wait at least two years to start eating a batch, but the best i’ve had was a 20-year old batch that had turned black...

and spices being mashed together and served alongside flatbreads and an array of fresh herbs (sabzi) and pickled vegetables (torshi) and garlic (seer torshi). Yum! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abgoosht

scrambled eggs, home fries, and donuts), Colorado Kitchen Carrot Salad -wow, kufte, Taste of Marrakesh Virginia Rijsttafel, one order can feed two people – Satay Sarinah (Alexandria!) Ginger Salad and whole spicy fish –...