Shiraz Kitchen & Wine Bar

Shiraz Kitchen, a Persian Wine Bar, Flourishes in Chelsea | Eater NY

"Named after the grape Shiraz, the Chelsea restaurant-and-wine-bar opened by Reza Parhizkaran (who first launched the concept next to his Elmsford, New York, Iranian restaurant in 2019) combines wine and Persian small plates in a restrained, austere white interior: two rows of white-linen tables trail deep into the space down a couple of steps from street level, with restrained color photos and a well-ventilated white shed by the curb where we sat. The 120-bottle wine list is impressive and thoughtfully curated — we found Napa producers associated with Iranian exiles (Darioush and Mithra), a strong showing of California Syrahs with one Australian Shiraz, and French and Italian bottles including Brunello, Barolo, Burgundy, and Rhone wines; reds dominate, whites and sparklings are abundant, and only two Provençal rosés appear. Twelve wines are available by the glass ($12–$16) and bottles run from about $45 to $490, with modest markups and a daily bargain selection of three off-list bottles; we chose a Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé for $50. Small plates, which make up roughly two-thirds of the menu in the spirit of the Persian snack-with-wine tradition, were highlights: warm dolmeh (five to an order, $9) of pickled grape leaves stuffed with long-grain rice and dill; jumbo dates stuffed with feta and a walnut (one friend found them too sweet, though I liked the salty–sweet contrast); a finely diced Shirazi salad dressed with lemon, mint, and olive oil; and mast-o-bademjan ($9), fried eggplant slices topped with herb yogurt that looked like a savory birthday cake — eggplant figures in four dishes here. Many apps come with pocket pitas that I found cardboard-y and in need of better flatbreads, but the rice is consistently excellent: entrees come with saffron basmati and for $4–$6 you can upgrade to composed rice (my favorite was dotted with orange peel, pistachios, and almonds; others feature fava or lima beans, sour cherries, or barberries). Our entrees — blackened-yet-moist grilled chicken and lamb chops, beef meatballs in a mellow pomegranate fesenjoon sauce, and a magnificent lamb shank ($25) heaped with sautéed red peppers and onions whose thin gravy begged to be poured over the rice — were flavorful and satisfying. For dessert, the halvah and ice cream ($10) was standout: crumbly pistachio halvah scattered around the plate with upright saffron-ice-cream obelisks, meant to be eaten by coating spoonfuls of ice cream with halvah — a perfect finish with the last sips of a bottle." - Robert Sietsema