After just one visit to Sonny’s Place (2168 Briarcliff Road, 404-982-0666), owner Sonny Azani will remember your face. After two visits, he’ll remember everything you ordered the last time you were there. By visit three, you’re family — complete with a little good-natured ribbing.

No stranger to the restaurant business — or the kind of wry-charm it takes to be successful — Azani retired seven years ago to raise his children after serving Atlanta for 18 years with his Jewish delis: Sonny’s Deli and Sonny’s on Ponce. But, while keeping house, Azani couldn’t stay away from food and found himself constantly watching Food Network. When his friend and future partner Franke Eghtesadi approached him with the idea to open a new restaurant on Briarcliff Road, Azani jumped at the chance. “The restaurant business is like being an alcoholic — you can’t stay away,” he says.

Despite being a self-proclaimed artist with corned beef and pastrami, Azani went in another direction with Sonny’s Place, which serves vegetarian, Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean food. “I have the same wife all my life, but I can change the food I cook,” Azani jokes.

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The other plate arrives with super crispy falafel that’s green on the inside from the loads of parsley.

Noms.

Just a tip: the falafel is the thing to get here. The shawarma just doesn’t do it for me unless it is Tuesday and they have the Cornish hen special.

Preparing ground meat kabobs isn’t as easy as it seems. They’re inevitably too crumbly, too bland, or just won’t stay on the skewer no matter how much you manhandle the meat. Getting them right almost requires a little black magic. Imagine my delight, then, when I happened upon Mohammed’s special lamb kabobs at the Buford Highway Farmers Market.

Mohammed, “your culinary market ambassador,” makes the kabobs fresh every day at the renovated treasure trove just past I-285 on Buford Highway. He uses American lamb that’s all natural, grass-fed, and always ground on site. The type of lamb used is mild, not aggressive, so the kabobs will appeal to your kiddies, who may not be lamb-ready. There’s also a nice amount of fat in the kabobs, so don’t worry if you overcook them. They’ll still be juicy.

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There was no going back to store-bought pita after my first visit to Jerusalem Bakery (585 Franklin Road, Marietta, 770-419-1666). The smell of freshly baked bread filled the shop with an intoxicating aroma; the pita was puffed and fluffy with just the right amount of chew, a far cry from the stiff and collapsed stuff found on supermarket shelves. When Jerusalem Bakery opened an Alpharetta outpost with a full-on restaurant (4150 Old Milton Parkway, Alpharetta, 770-777-0193), I became an immediate regular thanks in part to the addictive and crunchy falafel. More excitement followed when I learned the owners had added on a restaurant to the original Marietta retail location. A narrow dining room and an open kitchen now accompany the bakery with its endless shelves of just-out-of-the-oven Middle Eastern treats. And the goodies, such as soft pizza-esque pies (meat, feta, or za’atar) can be bought and devoured on the premises.When it comes to sandwiches, Marietta’s kitchen has a little less finesse than Alpharetta’s. Falafel the size of jawbreakers have feathery bits of crispy crunch outside, but the gray interior lacks any discernable seasoning; more parsley would add pop. Two ever-present spits of shawarma (beef and chicken) rotate all day, ready for sandwiches or platters. The chicken shawarma tastes on the tough side. Most of its meat is dark and could benefit from being shaved more finely so the chewiness of the beautifully spiced meat can shine. Rolled shawarma wraps are built with the house-made pillowy flatbread and tend to be a safer bet than the platters. In the wraps, the meat gets a boost from a long list of the traditional toppings, including spicy chili paste, pickled beets and tahini.

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MIRAGE RESTAURANT: This white-tablecloth Persian mainstay is starting to look a little worn around the edges. The food, however, stands the test of time. Generous portions of juicy Kabob Koubideh (skewered and charbroiled ground beef and onion patties) are a carnivore’s dream. The Shirin Polo – a heaping mound of buttery rice – is fragrant with sautéed barberries, raisins and orange peels. Slivered almonds and pistachios add a slight crunch. The pieces of steamed chicken breast round out the dish to make it a satisfying meal. 6631 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. 404-843-8300. www.miragepersiancuisine.com.

RUMI’S KITCHEN: Sandy Springs is the epicenter of Persian cuisine. This relative newcomer to the scene is a favorite of diners looking for a bit of modern flair to their dining repertoire. Rumi’s freshly made bread is addictively crackly and soft. It’s served in a cone with a plate of briny white cheese, fresh herbs, walnuts, room-temperature butter and crunchy radishes. It’s hard not to make a meal of it. But save some room for the soul-soothing eggplant and veal stew and Cornish hen kabob. 6152 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. 404-477-2100. www.rumiskitchen.com.

Continue Reading “Mouthful: Persian food”

Lunchtime for intown workers looking for a quick fix is a monotonous endeavor. Sandwich. Salad. Burger. Repeat. Most nearby ethnic options are either dumbed down or too fancy for their own good. Kabobee (609 Whitehall St., 404-688-8885, www.kabobee.com) is neither.

Reza Ashtiani chose to open a restaurant specializing in quick and simple Persian cuisine in an odd quasi-residential part of Castleberry Hill. The self-standing building has many large windows that permit the sun to whitewash the already spartan — and kind of antiseptic — space. You will find none of the typical warm colors or cultural accents you see at more upscale Persian establishments. The only color comes from the charmingly cheesy mural of some hip Charlie the Tuna look-alikes leftover from the fish shack that previously occupied the space.

While the restaurant could use a few decorative touches, the owner and his staff do a commendable job of making you feel at home. The restaurant has only been open for a short while, but Ashtiani already seems to be acknowledging an eclectic mix of regulars. Click here to read the rest…