Shalizaar Restaurant Review, Belmont

Shalizaar is a Persian Cuisine restaurant in Belmont. It moved here from a smaller location in San Mateo, which is now home for Tannourine. They specialize in Persian Kabobs. Shalizaar has a large wood fired oven at one end of the dining room constantly making flat bread. Our last visit was in October 2011.

You get warm flat bread, mint leaves, walnuts and feta cheese after you sit down, a nice touch.

Decor, Vibe – Very fancy location with lots of expensive decor including a domed ceiling with a beautiful chandelier. They must make a lot of money. Big communal table in the front.

Families, couples, and bigger groups of all sorts of races were dining at Shalizaar.

Menu

Website menu

Shalizaar has a concise two-page menu with a variety of appetizers, meat dishes, and stew dishes. Prices are not cheap, but consistent with higher-end restaurants. Prices have risen about 10% over the last couple years.

Picks:

Tah Dig ($8.95) Crispy Rice (not as crispy as say Korean stone pot Rice) with your choice of stew toppings was a good way to sample their student items. We chose Ghormeh Sabzi -Stewed beef, kidney beans, sautéed herbs, and spinach, and Fesenjan -Roasted chicken thighs, ground walnuts, and pomegranate juice. We preferred the beef stew to the chicken.

Saffron Rice

Shalizaar, Special for Two ($43.95) A combination of three kabobs, joojeh (Cornish game hen), barreh (lamb filet), and koobideh (seasoned ground beef) served with saffron rice and tomatoes, made for two but it can easily feed 3 adults.

The lamb chop was cooked to medium, it was still on the bone and very delicious. The game hen was tender and very juicy, cooked very well. The beef was formed from ground beef, so it was pretty soft and mushy, but flavorful, tasty, and a little greasy. Tomatoes were slightly burned, otherwise tasted fine. This dish is so meaty, it could have used a lot more in the way of vegetables. You are supposed to mash the meat into the saffron rice.

One another visit to Shalizaar, we substituted the barg (filet mignon) for the lamb and found it worthwhile. The beef was thin and juicy. We have also had the shrimp, which were small but above average.

Shirin Polo ($15.95) – Sweet pistachio, almond, and orange peal rice with chicken thighs. A sweet rice dish that really wasn’t too sweet. A very tender long cooked piece of chicken accompanied this interesting dish.

Faloodeh ($4.50) Noodles mixed with crushed ice, rose water and sugar. An interesting dessert with bits of noodle on top of shaved ice.

Bastani ($4.50) Persian ice cream mixed with pistachios and saffron. A more traditional dessert with some smooth homemade ice cream.

Ferini ($4.50) – was a cardamom flavored rich pudding that hit the spot.

OK:

Kashk-e-Bademjan ($6.95) Cooked pureed eggplant, topped with Kashk. (Kashk is a creamy sauce made of yogurt) and sauteed mint. A big place of it, good for dipping the bread into.

Dough ($2) is a yogurt mixed with club soda, mint, salt, and pepper drink. A fine rendition of an acquired taste. Foodies should try it at least once.

Pans:
None

Shalizaar’s service was fair and got worse as the place filled up. We had to literally get up and nail down the server to get the bill and clear the table. They need to add more servers and helpers.

If we were looking for Persian food, we would definitely have Shalizaar on our short list. The place gets packed during peak times, so make a reservation.

Also consider: Lavash in San Francisco and Paradise Kabab house in Redwood City.

$25 Dining Certificate for $5

Shalizaar Overall Rating: (Very Good 2.5)

Come Back?

Food Rating:	(Very Good)
Service Rating:	(Average)
Atmosphere Rating:	(Very Good)
Value Rating:	(Good)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:	Full Bar
Attire:	Casual
Hours:	11am - 10pm
Parking:	Lot
Reservations:	Yes
Prices:	$10.95 - $41.95