Chestnut Hill's Shundeez Restaurant offers tastes of Iran

At Shundeez Restaurant in Chestnut Hill, Mohsen (Maurice) Lavasani brings the taste and culture of his Iranian homeland to the table. All you need to do is see the joy on his face as he parades through the restaurant offering crisp rice scraped from the bottom of the cooker at the end of the evening. You understand that this wafer-thin treat is part of his rich heritage that goes all the way back to ancient Persia.

Iranian cuisine is often lumped into the general category of Middle Eastern food. But that ignores some distinct differences. Lavasani notes that rice is the king of starches and couscous would not be served.

Saffron, dried limes and parsley also figure prominently.

We began our Persian evening with an array of appetizers. These were some of the best Dolmeh ($5), or stuffed grape leaves, I've ever had. The roll was perfect: tight enough to hold together, but not so tight as to mash the rice inside. These were delicate in taste as well as wrap.

The Baba Ganoush ($7) was the standard dip of grilled eggplant, tahini and a healthy dose of garlic. The accompanying pita was good, but if you are not making it in-house, I think it should spend a few seconds on the grill or under the salamander (broiler) to give it some life.

All of my tasters agreed the Hummus ($6) was a little ho-hum. It is obviously made with canned chick peas rather than fresh, and the texture lacked the creamy consistency we were looking for. Or maybe we've been spoiled by the hummus at Zahav, the new modern Israeli restaurant in Society Hill.

If you like spinach quiche, you'll love Coo Coo Sabzi ($6). This baked spinach and egg dish had a slight custard texture and was seasoned with cilantro, parsley and a seasoned yogurt topping.

Another interesting appetizer was the Kashk Bademjon ($6), a puree of grilled eggplant, studded with a remarkable saffron essence and a hint of mint.

For entrees, we tried the Grilled Salmon ($21) served with sweet rice, orange peel, carrots and almonds.

The sweet rice was divine, each grain stood at attention and the carrots and orange peel were like a sweet confetti.

Lavasani says this rice dish is so special it is served at weddings in Iran.

He also notes that the traditional Iranian fish is not available here. The salmon was acceptable, but obviously frozen. It would be wonderful if he could find a fresh white fish that is closer to the authentic dish.

And, salmon is on the seafoodwatch.org list as a fish to avoid if you wish to support healthy and sustainable ocean fishing.

Persian cuisine makes a high art of kebobs, and Shundeez's menu offers quite the array.

The Barg Soltani ($24) had two different styles of beef. The filet of beef was seasoned with a marinade that also kept the meat tender, even though it is cooked completely through.

A ground beef kebob accompanied the filet. It was akin to a flat, long meatball with Middle Eastern flavors. All the kebobs are served with basmati rice and vegetables.

We also enjoyed the Ghormeh Sabzi ($23). Sabzi is a stew and this version is often considered the national dish of Iran. A luscious lamb shank (with bone) was coated with a blend of kidney beans and herbs and is served over basmati rice. The lamb was tender and the sauce fragrant.

Lavasani stopped by our table to explain the lamb is stewed for hours and the herbs are a mix unique to Iran.

The entrees are large, so a strategic budgetary move when ordering would be to share a few appetizers and split a main course.

We tried two desserts. The homemade ice cream ($6) had a tad too much rosewater for all my tasters and the promised pistachios on top were missing. Still, it is definitely worth trying this authentic Persian ice cream.

One of my favorite candies is Turkish Delight ($6) and I was glad to see this confection on the dessert menu. Made from gelatin and fruit juice, it tastes like a really fresh gummy bear. Oh, if you could only get these at the movies!

We lingered too long over our dinner to make a stop in Shundeez Market next door. This long-awaited addition to the restaurant offers take-out options and specialty ingredients.

Currently, Lavasani is on his way to Iran for his first visit in two decades. And to show how much he and his family put into this venture, he was concerned that readers know he's away from the restaurant and they are operating on limited hours.

So, the suggestion is to wait to try Shundeez until he gets back mid-September with plenty of new ideas.

Even though we currently have trade sanctions with Iran, I'm hoping custom rules permit him to bring a little saffron and caviar back home. It's considered to be some of the best in the world. *