How Chef Chris Morgan Runs Joon, a Persian Restaurant on the Rise in Virginia | Eater

"Led by chef-owner Chris Morgan, who has been a mentee of Najmieh Batmanglij since 2013 and developed the Persian and Middle Eastern menu with her, this upscale Northern Virginia restaurant has earned national acclaim for its refined takes on traditional dishes. The kitchen emphasizes rice—keeping about 500 personal servings of crispy tahdig ready in the walk-in and using hundreds of pounds of basmati weekly to make herb-, sour cherry–, and saffron‑infused rices—and produces vats of bright, lemony hummus for service. Longtime specialists turn out perfectly uniform kabobs (including barg beef tenderloin, kubideh ground lamb, and chicken), while slow-cooked meats like a dizi (lamb neck stew) are prepared from whole cuts such as a 75‑pound Shenandoah lamb. Whole branzino stuffed with pistachio and herbs is roasted to order (about ten sold daily), and the team stages kebabs, stews, flatbreads, and complicated rice dishes to feed a 265‑seat, gold-and-blue flecked dining room. Batmanglij herself occasionally joins the kitchen to discuss dishes and cultural context—she notes that “joon” means “life,” reflecting the restaurant’s focus on joyful, thoughtfully executed food." - Emily Venezky