"Hospitality vet Yahya Sardari showcases slow-cooked meats, cornerstone starters, and family recipes at Kookoo, a Persian restaurant in Columbia Heights. The Iranian restaurateur opened this living room of a Persian place in late 2023, transforming his shuttered coffee shop Coffy Café into the eatery of his dreams. Named for an iconic Persian egg-and-herb dish, Kookoo melds the sweet, sour, tart, and savory flavors intrinsic in Persian cuisine. Recipes stem from his mother and grandmother, and the restaurant offers traditional dishes like khoresh fesenjoon, a refined chicken stew, and khoresh baghali, a slow-cooked dish of braised beef in a fava-dill stew. The venue is described as homestyle, cozy, and aims to bring Persian food to a block known for its fast-casual chains." - Evan Caplan
