Mediterranean Grill
I think if you go out to eat a lot, you really need to mix it up. I mean, try the cuisine of another continent at least once a week. And that's how I wound up trying the Persian food at Mediterranean Grill on Mass Ave and Cambridge.
Everybody is talking about the Mediterranean diet these days. I have to tell you, I'm a big believer in it because the food is tasty, and at the same time, it's healthy. So you sit down, you have a great meal, you feel like you've tried a lot of things, a lot of different flavors, and yet you leave there feeling good.
Hossein Taylor is the OG of Persian food around here. He has been doing it for 40 years. And my Persian friends say no one does it better.
This is a small place with no bar but they do have beer and wine, a beautiful little outdoor patio in the summer and it's intimate. You really are enjoying the experience. The food and the cooking are the star here.
Persian food has been around for 1000s of years. So I mean, they have got their act down. You've got lots of meats and spices and herbs and fruits. It's some of the most flavorful and some of the most aromatic, tasty and healthy food that there is on the planet.
You're going to need an appetizer right away because when you walk into this restaurant, the smells overtake you. It's the chicken, the beef, the rice, the spices. Oh it makes you so hungry to try this Persian Cuisine.
They have some traditional appetizers here like your baba ganoushj or your hummus with paprika and olives. I think you want to go a little bit more adventurous like this roasted eggplant. It's got yogurt, mint, some fried onion and garlic and they grill the peanut bread so it can really stand up to this delicious dip.
Up in the northern region by the Caspian Sea. They're known for their vegetarian dishes like this. This is eggplant with tomato caramelized onions and garlic. It's really silky smooth type of dish. I love it.
The most popular Persian dish is the kebab and it's interesting because it's anything from street food to very high end dining here. They do platters for two, three or four people I say to get the platter so you can really try a lot of things when you come here. This one has sirloin, ground sirloin and chicken it also has grilled vegetables and it's served over pita bread. So the juice from the meats really seep into the bread that it comes with a massive side order of basmati rice.
A big key to the cooking here are these skewers. So they go over the grill the meats go on these, the skewer gets hot so the food is being cooked from the inside and from the outside and they can turn it like that. So you really get the essence of that smoke inside the meats and a little char. Your chicken, your beef, your lamb, your shrimp come out great because of this.
Koobideh refers to ground chicken or ground sirloin. This was the ground chicken smashed down, put into cylinders put on the skewer and on top of the grill comes out super flavorful.
If kebabs aren't your thing, you may want to try the lamb shank. Now the lamb shank is kind of a tough part of the lamb. So what they do is they braise it low and slow for hours which really brings out the aroma and the flavor of the lamb.
They have five different kinds of basmati rice dishes here. I recommend this one, the saffron and sour cherry only because I've never had a rice dish quite like this. There's a huge platter of basmati rice. I think basmati rice is the most flavorful rice on the planet. And then there's some saffron on top. It adds flavor. They say it actually makes you happy and I got to admit I'm feeling pretty happy.
For dessert try the Persian ice cream. This is made with rosewater saffron and pistachios on the top and in the middle, so it's really creamy but then you get the crunch of the pistachios. This was invented like 500 BC, so I don't know how they kept it cold during that time. I'm just telling you, this is a delicious way to end your Persian meal.
Another great dessert here is the baklava. Super sweet. I tend to think of it as a great dessert here. They do a Persian rendition you can get it with walnuts or pistachios it's a win win either way.
As the old saying goes, When in Rome eat like the Romans do when having Persian food drink like the Persians do this is doogh. It's made with yogurt and mint. And although it looks like a milkshake, the flavor is very unusual and I think worth a try.
“Look, nobody goes out to eat more than I do. Nobody loves going out to eat more than I do. But once in a while you get in a rut, same restaurants, same flavors. So next time you're feeling that way. I recommend that you try the Persian food at Mediterranean grill in Cambridge. I love it.
