11 East 30th Street (btwn 5th and Madison Ave), NoMad
This one will be a short one because I'm reflecting on a forgotten meal had several weeks ago. My sister was home in New Jersey during the winter vacation, so I arranged with my mom and her to meet in Manhattan for dinner one night. Looking for somewhere close to Penn Station, I chose Ravagh Persian Grill on 30th Street, one of a small chain throughout the city, New Jersey, and Long Island. Situated in rather nondescript NoMad (NOrth of MADison Square Park) neighborhood in Midtown on an even more nondescript side street with multiple rug stores, Ravagh is identified by a swinging yellow sign announcing the presence of "Persian Grill." The day we went their front door was broken so that if you did not hold it while closing, it would slam shut behind you. That startling noise occurred more than a few times while dining. Whenever I go to Mediterranean or Middle Eastern restaurants, I get stuffed grape leaves, so here we ordered the dolmeh, which were a good enough appetizer. The signature specialties at Ravagh are definitely the stews and kabobs. Other dishes ordered included a salad, chicken strip kabob, vegetarian kabob, and chicken stew. Pretty much everything here comes with some kind of rice. There is one particular dish, however, that stands out from among the rest at this Persian post. That is the base of the khoresh fesenjan, a stew consisting of crushed walnuts with boneless chicken. What the walnuts and chicken become immersed in is a pomegranate paste that lends to the palate one of the most unique tastes of sweet and tangy. Resembling a Mexican mole sauce, we ordered this in combination with tadiq, a Persian specialty of cooked crunch rice that turns into something like a hard pancake. Just this pomegranate fesenjan sauce alone made this meal worthwhile.
Yellow sign on street with rug stores.
Amazing pomegranate-based fesenjan sauce.
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