Being across from the Days Inn, it's easy to find. We found parking just fine, and entered through the back. The decor inside seems authentic and unique to anything I've seen in middle eastern-type restaurants before. Large paintings adorn the wall with traditional scenes of native people, and beautiful paintings on the wall itself of the native women. One painting displayed a person holding a goat; faces close together and eyes closed in quiet serenity. There was something foreign and calming about this. Inside and just next to the dining area, there is a small grocery. It was halfway full, and seemed to be a majority of natives, so I will admit I felt out of place but was intrigued instead of shy.
Upon reviewing the menu and looking around, it seemed that tea is a beverage of choice. They do not serve alcohol, but you can bring your own wine. Alas, I was not thirsty for tea, but they offer a Darjeeling blend. Darjeeling is my favorite tea, so I will have try this at some point. The menu was a little confusing, as I'm not completely familiar with this type of food. They have some of your standard middle eastern fare (hummous, falafael, stuffed grape leaves) and some things I've never quite heard of (persian stew aka Koresh, served over "crusty rice" as an appetizer, vegetable pies ) Most of their entrees were similar in the fact that they were some sort of meat, mostly in the form of kebob, with rice (regular or dill), and a grilled tomato, which (as a newbie) puzzled me. I was pleased to see they have a LOT of chicken dishes, also beef, lamb and sirloin. All have variations of whole, ground, or blends.
For our appetizer, we decided on the falafael, which comes with tabouli, yogurt and pita. I've never had falafael before, but am familiar with it from afar. For our entree's, Mr. C ordered the caspian supreme, which is a ground beef/lamb mixture kabob and also a sirloin kabob, with regular rice and the grilled tomato. I ordered the chicken special, which is chicken pieces flavored with lemon and saffron, and I opted for the dill rice. We were served a salad first, which was quite lackluster. It had all things I dislike, iceberg wedge-y lettuce, dressing too oily and too acidic, and just kind of dumped together with a tomato and cucumber slice. I don't expect dinner salads to be main course stunners, but I do expect them to make me want to eat more.
Our falafael:
Please keep in mind I've never had falafael before. But these seemed dry. I tried them alone, and I also put them on pita with tabouli and yogurt, which was better. The tabouli was parsley heavy, and not bright or light like I'm used to. The yogurt was good and tangy - like a sour cream almost. All together, the food was good. Individually, they weren't great. I have to go with my own tastes here, as I admittedly don't "know food", and I just wasn't wowed with flavor, spices, or textures.
Mr. C's Caspian Supreme
And my much less offensive looking Chicken Special.
Mr. C's meat was very flavorful - one side being the beef/lamb combination and the other being the sirloni. I found the beef/lamb to be tender, savory and flavorful. The sirloin was chewy, but good. Both were moist, and not over-spiced.
My dish was not as successful. The chicken was predominately lemon flavored. No savory, delicate saffron was detected. The chicken was also dry. Very dry, to the point where you need to drink something with every bite. The dill rice however, was lovely. It was cooked perfectly, and had a generous sprinking of fresh chopped dill over the top. On each side of the mountainous rice pile sat a little pat of butter. Right on. The dill flavor came through, but didn't punch me in the face, and blended very well with the rice and butter. I would go back just for this rice. The grilled tomato still confused me. I realize this is a traditional serving with a Persian .meal, but don't know it's purpose. I ate one bite plain and it was nice; smokey, tangy, and juicy. But then I attempted to eat more.... and it's just what you'd imagine eating a mushy tomato would be like. I don't know any Persian people, so any enlightenment would be nice.
I've been to great middle eastern (Greek, Lebanese) restaraunts, and some terrible ones. I would put Caspian in the middle. While I was glad to see that they didn't over-spice/garlic/salt any of the dishes, I also feel they were lacking something. A tad more depth perhaps? And I wish my chicken would have been more moist and with a hint of saffron blended with a delicate lemon aftertaste? This may not be The Caspians fault however, as my gut initially told me to go with the lamb shank in tomato garlic-herb sauce. Next time I visit, I will!
I don't think The Caspian has a website.
Persians do not eat falafel or tabbouli or the appetizers you ordered, and it is odd that they have it on the menu. No wonder that you didn't like them. I would never order that at Caspian.
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