A Persian Upstate Dinner That Draws New Yorkers on the Full Moon | Eater NY

"Tucked off the main road in the heart of Bovina, about three hours northwest of New York City, I attended a full-moon Nowruz dinner at Brushland Eating House, an unmarked 19th-century building that houses a restaurant and two upstairs apartments. Since opening in 2014 the place has evolved from a seven-days-a-week restaurant into a three-day-a-week, one-seating-a-night supper club where chef Sohail Zandi—recently a 2023 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: New York State—serves monthly, sold-out, three-course family-style dinners that adapt recipes from his Iranian heritage while leaning on Delaware County’s seasonal bounty. The evening begins with a 6 p.m. cocktail hour (I had a tamarind and Persian tea margarita) and by 7 a menu rooted in memory unfolds: a reimagined kuku sabzi as beet-brine–pickled deviled eggs topped with herb-packed yolk and barberries alongside sweet-and-sour olives; a stirring ash reshteh, thick and herb-green with legumes and noodles, finished with kashk and mint oil; a Nowruz fish course of whole local trout marinated in saffron and lemon, poached and dressed with saffron beurre blanc and herbs, followed by theatrically served tahdig; and a finale of olive-oil cake with feta-infused whipped cream, pistachios and Cara Caras. The dinners feel intimate and communal—about 40 diners, many who have driven in from the city—cell service drops off en route, Zandi’s family appears during service, he greets tables personally, music shifts late in the night to Persian beats and people dance, and the evening ends with Zandi sharing a book of Hafez fortunes; as he says, “I want it to taste like a memory,” and his mother, Giti, who inspired the dinners, praises his artistry." - Pervaiz Shallwani