Six for Dinner at the Shiraz Grill

SAN MATEO & OSUNA, NE--MaryAnn leaves for New York tomorrow. Tonight six of us met for supper at the Shiraz Grill on Osuna near San Mateo. Getting together like this has become something we like to do with our friends on almost a weekly basis. And we like to go to new places.

Driving to the Shiraz Grill involved using I-25. This is not my favorite place to be at 5:30 in the afternoon. But the drama that was unfolding in the sky to the east made me glad to be out there. Here in New Mexico it is sometimes called Walking Rain. Tonight you could see the edges of that downpour as it walked across the foothills. What a welcome sight!

Anyway, MaryAnn and I got lost. We were the last to arrive. At least we got there before the food order had gone into the kitchen. For those interested, the people at the table are (from left to right) Joe the Gumball King, Mike O'Bike, Johnny, The Beautiful MaryAnn, Carole, and Marcia...(both are also beautiful but they do not reside in my domestic precinct).

The restaurant features Persian cuisine. The food was great and inexpensive. My dinner consisted of dill rice and a couple of ground chicken logs full of delicious seasonings. I ordered it by its location on the menu: P-1. I'm sure it had another name...I neglected to write it down...something like chicken piddileh. Two of the other dishes at the table were lamb shanks and chicken in a kind of simmered curry sauce mixed with nuts and currants. MaryAnn said it started with a "K" but was sure it wasn't Chicken Kevlar.

It is a small, clean place with Persian music in the background. The food was excellent. The owner, Saeid Setareh, was there cooking. Our server, Ali, was helpful and attentive. The cost was more than reasonable: My wonderful dish was $7.99. The other dishes were comparable.

The restaurant has been open for about 4 months. Mr. Setareh says they are going to be adding some outside tables soon. That would be nice. But we were very comfortable inside.

One of the reasons I am writing about this place is that I feel we need to support the good efforts of our local people. Otherwise there will be nothing left but national chains. The Shiraz Grill is an excellent way to not only get a good meal, but to experience a cuisine that is rare enough to give your evening an exotic beginning. Give it a try.

Shiraz Grill
5505 Osuna Rd. NE
505.884.4610