Dinner at Alborz Restaurant

Alborz Restaurant, a Persion spot on Van Ness and Sutter, isn't much to look at from the outside, but it's comfortable and warm when you enter and a perfect place to go for a meal before or after a movie at the theater a couple of blocks away. The staff is friendly and the food comes out fairly fast, and the menu has a range of options most folks can easily be happy with. On the table when you sit down is lavash bread served with small bowls of Greek yogurt flavored with cucumber and mint. It's a refreshing snack while you browse the menu items. There is a short wine list as well which includes several options in the sparkling, white and red categories. I had a Gewurztraminer from California which was fairly sweet but still a nice pairing with the food to come. We started with Hummus which was thick and rich and salted nicely which really brought out the flavor of the tahini and the chickpeas. To my surprise, one of the diners had never had hummus before, but he seemed to enjoy it. Others had the Torshee, or pickled vegetables; Dolma, ground beef seasoned with fresh herbs, rice and lentils and wrapped in grape leaves; and Kashk Bodemjan, roasted eggplant with fried onion, garlic mint and yogurt sauce. For my main I had a Green Salad served with a Chicken Koobideh (or Kabob) which came with house dressing on the side. The salad was fairly small but the Kabob was huge and quite tasty. The chicken is golden in color thanks to saffron in the sauce and it's also quite garlicky. The dressing is creamy and really not even needed since the chicken is so flavorful. Others enjoyed various Kabob Combinations (beef, lamb, salmon and the like) which come with Basmati rice and grilled tomato, as well as House Specials which include Ghorme Sabze, cubed beef cooked in onions, scallions, chives leeks and kidney beans; and Fesenjoon, or crushed walnuts cooked in a pomegranate sauce and served over chicken. The specials were a bit heartier than the other menu items but got good reviews overall. Alborz is a fairly inexpensive spot for a casual meal and one I hope you have a chance to enjoy.

Alborz Restaurant

1245 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco

Picaro, Inexpensive Tapas in the Mission

The Mission certainly offers quite a few tasty choices as far as tapas spots go, but Picaro is one which is centrally located, consistently tasty and inexpensive. There are four tables outside for enjoying your meal when the weather is nice, and the indoor portion of the restaurant is good-sized and earth tones, simple wood tables and other furnishings, Spanish paintings and other decor and friendly staff give off a nice and comfortable vibe. There's a short wine list as well as several beers on tap and sangria on offer as far as libations go. I had the Marques de Riscal, a dry white wine, last time I was there and at $5 a glass it certainly works just fine. Patatas Bravas, the standard fried potato dish, is nice and somewhat spicy at Picaro. Tortilla de Patata, potato and oniion omelet; Championes de Ajillo, or mushrooms sauteed with garlic; Pollo al Ajillo or garlic chicken, are other standbys that Picaro does well. I also almost always order grilled calamari when I see it on a menu since I much prefer it to the fried variety, and Picaro's take on the dish is delicious. Ropa Vieja, or stew with beef, chicken and chorizo is another solid dish. Picaro is a good place to just know about and stop in when you are in the neighborhood and are looking for a relaxed place to enjoy tapas for not a lot of money. Enjoy.

Picaro

3120 16th Street in San Francisco