Shalizaar Review

Last minute planning led two of us to Shalizaar, a decent Persian restaurant in San Mateo. Since we visited Maykadeh recently, I'll compare them. Our non-kebab dishes (e.g., tah dig, plate of herbs) were generally better at Shalizaar, though Maykadeh definitely wins on the quality of the pita and the tastiness of the feta cheese. As for the kebabs, Shalizaar's were moist and tender, missing Maykadeh's occasional problem, and, although they weren't as flavorful, we'd declare them the narrow victor. On a good day at Maykadeh, we'd imagine it'd win without difficulty. Oj reminds me that Persian meats generally aren't supposed to be strongly spiced or flavored.

The meal started with over-toasted rectangles of vaguely-pita-like bread (lavash?) and a well equipped plate containing basil, mint, green onions, parsley, softened walnuts, feta cheese, and a radish. Butter came on the side. As usual, we made ourselves sandwiches.

For one appetizer, we ordered the classic: tah dig -- Persian rice with a golden, oiled crust. We liked it: lots of crispy rice, good oil flavor, but none of the oil greasiness. We had our order topped with ghormeh sabzi, "stewed beef and kidney beans, seasoned with sauteed spinach, parsley, and cilantro." In short, tender meat (though not that great) in a spinach-and-kidney-bean stew. We thought it fairly decent. Oj remarked that, aside from not having enough lemon, it's as it was supposed to be. Together, this was easily the size of a large entree.

Persian yogurt with garlic was our other appetizer. It was really thick and creamy. Really thick. And so creamy, it was like having dessert. In fact, I had some at the end of the meal. We had lots extra, as a little bit went a long way.

At this point, we probably could've left full. But we still had our entrees to come.

One entree included two kebabs, one barg (filet mignon) and one koobideh (ground beef). These meats, like all others during the meal, were nicely tender. They weren't that flavorful, though they're not supposed to be. We had no trouble finishing them all, even as we left our appetizers unfinished. This dish also came with a roasted tomato and the traditional saffron rice.

Zereshk polo was our other entree. This was basically a huge mound of rice with chicken legs and wings, all mixed with many dried/cooked barberries. Barberries are like miniature cranberries and equally potent. We found the dish appealing but couldn't eat too much at one time.

We clearly ordered too much. I had two meals of leftovers of tah dig, ghormeh sabzi, and zereshk polo. I had to divide the zereshk polo over multiple meals, as the flavor of the barberry rice gets to me quickly. Oj took the yogurt.

Oj ordered his usual strange Persian yogurt drink.

Shalizaar is located in a pedestrian unfriendly, dense commercial part of San Mateo just off of El Camino. It was packed when we arrived. As for the decor, it was basically average decent restaurant decor -- nothing remarkable.

Two separate groups celebrated birthdays while we were there. Shalizaar delivered to each a scoop of ice cream with a candle in it. Cute.

Service was fine until near the end of the meal, at which time they started ignoring us.

The total was $28/person including tax and tip but not including drinks. Recall we had multiple meals of leftovers.

Original Announcement

Since Shalizaar was the result of a last minute scheduling, there was no original announcement.

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