"On Saturday nights until 2am, you'll find underground DJs and a Williamsburg crowd wearing short fringes and very expensive sneakers in the all-red room at Masquerade. But this bar is also a restaurant, with Iranian-inspired cocktails—which incorporate ingredients like saffron, cardamom, and pomegranate—and a short menu of small plates and entrees, like the creamy mast-o-moosir full of Persian shallots, or juicy apricot chicken. You can eat at the bar or bigger tables inside, but they’ve also got a great back patio that stays on-theme with red-tiled tables and lanterns. Once you’ve eaten, order another rosewater Negroni to keep you company under the disco ball. photo credit: Alex Staniloff photo credit: Alex Staniloff photo credit: Alex Staniloff Food Rundown photo credit: Alex Staniloff Spicy Saffron Prawns These pack an impressive amount of saffron and chile flavor. After you eat the plump prawn meat, slurp more saffron seasoning right out of the shell. photo credit: Alex Staniloff Tahchin We wouldn’t mind an all-rice birthday cake if it tasted like tahchin. This mound of rice is crispy on the outside, with a yolky, custard-like interior, and you can cut it into slices like a cake or casserole. Masquerade’s version tastes great thanks to the saffron-infused rice crust, though it can get a tad dry. We recommend ordering a yogurt-heavy mezze with this, like the mast-o-moosir. photo credit: Alex Staniloff Chicken Leg This chicken is nice and juicy, with a sweet and sour thing going on from the apricot, saffron, and pomegranate sauce underneath. photo credit: Alex Staniloff Rosewater Negroni This is a Persian spot, so naturally, you’re going to consume some rosewater. It blends beautifully with a floral gin in this drink, and they add extra rose petals to perfume the air around you." - Neha Talreja
