There are six wines, all priced attractively ($5/glass; $22.50/bottle). Alas, it is not a culture attuned to wine, and the wines are poured into thin tumblers that lose any aroma. On flavor alone, I like the 2009 "Petit Caprice," a blend of Syrah and Grenache with the most basic Rhone appellation, "vin de pays." On such simple country wines did all the budget gourmets of France sustain themselves for generations. A little more structure, a little less charm — the 2010 Alto Real Monestral, another Rhone grape (mourvedre) as grown leaner in Spain. I had high hopes for the 2011 "Rafale" merlot of Vignerons Catalans, another regional, but here pop technology has overcome French restraint to make a fruit bomb that has a little too much residual sweetness. Persian tea ($2) is brewed and served in a glass. My East European ancestors drank tea from a glass (generally using a zarf for insulation) but used lumps of sugar between the teeth to sweeten it.
Here we have baklava ($4), the only dessert, and purchased, but from some maker who makes tiny little one- and two-bite shapes — a log, a slice with pistachios, a micro kataifi -— with shreds of dough, all using more butter than syrup for a distinctive, almost cookie-like style.
Sabzi Persian Chelow Kabab is a small storefront that takes reservations. It is decorated with many small paintings and souvenirs or family heirlooms of the old country.
Robert Nadeau can be reached at robtnadeau@aol.com.
