I too was excited to try this restaurant. I am often in the area. I have had Persian food with Persian friends at two other restaurants. My first visit was pleasant. It was 5:00 pm on a weeknight. My friend had the white skewered chicken with saffron rice and barberries. She also had the yogurt soda. I had the chicken stew. We both had shirazi salad. We were happy with the food and for the most part the service. One complaint was the waitress had a cloth bracelet on with a long tie. She kept reaching across our plates to pick up the empty bread plate etc. At one point her frayed bracelet touched my rice. Although grossed out I said nothing and did not eat that part. I chalked it up to new servers. We tipped well and made reservations for our holiday dinner on Friday December 22. We actually cancelled our annual dinner at Auberge du pommier we liked Darbar so much.
The good news ends here. We arrive on the stated time. Warmly greeted we sit in good moods although our reserved table had been given to someone else. It happens. The server was asking to take drink orders before we had our coats off. They still have no drink menu. Okay I guess staff are still inexperienced one month from our initial visit. We order shirazi salads. Now I love red onion but the salads were 75% onion. Still palatable. We both ordered the white breast chicken with barberry rice, the dish my friend had last time. At our last visit my friend loved it, I had a taste and loved it too.
Our mains arrive too quickly. The server, another one, all told we had 4 people serving us that night but none well, tried to snatch my friend's unfinished salad. Okay we begin our mains. The rice is lukewarm with globs of unmelted butter in it. The chicken is raw in the middle, raw!!!! I tell the manager?? Owner?? Sunni, she apologizes nicely. I know mistakes happen. But wait. She takes my friend's chicken back asap. Not mine. Finally I get her attention and she takes mine. My friend asks if Sunni can take our rice and heat it because it is cold. She agrees.
We are given a complimentary appetizer of olives and nuts, a paste. Nice.
But I throw in the towel when the rice comes back stone cold, my friend is given a new chicken dish but I get her and my leftovers mixed up on the same plate, very overcooked.
When addressed I am told I ate half the chicken before sending it back. I calmly explain I am quite willing to pay full price. I explain it was more towards the middle that the chicken skewer was raw, I had eaten more then my friend and asked my friend to check her chicken, and indeed hers was raw too. I was not going to quibble over how much damn chicken I had eaten. You serve raw chicken, cold soggy rice, I suggest if sent back you remake the whole dish. I was civil and pleasant throughout.
We decide to try desert. It was our holiday dinner. I asked the server is the cheesecake made in house, she said yes. Well it was okay but obviously bought frozen as it was frozen in the middle. Lol a farce. We got Persian tea and it was barely warm.
In parting I told Sunni we were so looking forward to the dinner and so disappointed. She gave a card for 15% off next time. Big deal. I can understand a mistake. But it is all In how it is rectified, this was dealt with badly and was mistake after mistake.
I will not go back. My work and friend's work were going to book office dinners but we advised to go elsewhere.
Dismal.
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