Monday Reviews!

Persia House-somewhere on fulton (sorry, i can't find the address, but I will try to call them around lunch and post it later). Grace, Jenny and I tried to go to Maalouf's on fulton, one of my favorite restaurants and home of the region's #1 lamb. Sadly, Maaloufs is closed on sunday, so as we were searching for another restaurant, Persia House caught our eye and we decided to check it out. It seems to have just opened recently. We were met by a very handsome Persian waiter with eyes as blue as the Caspian Sea. He was wearing a vest covered with mirrors. As soon as we sat down two middle eastern gentlemen started talking to us on and off for the course of the meal, offering suggestions and joking around. At first it was a little irritating because they immediately assumed that we had never eaten Persian food and were confused young ladies that were scared by spices or something. After I recommended Maaloufs to them, they chilled out on that and were just friendly. I got the chicken soltani, which was a kind of combo platter of saffron chicken kabobs and beef soltani, which is a kabob with spiced ground beef. Grace got a stew called Gormeh Sabzi. The dudes told us that the work "gourmet" actually comes from the Farsi word for this dish and said that it is a Persian home-cooked favorite. Jenny got another kind of eggplant stew that I can't remember the name of. There was a third stew on the menu that had a pomegranate sauce that sounds very intriguing. All dinners come with a little green salad that I thought was just pretty standard, but Grace loved the dressing. The dinner took a really long time to come, which I like because it gives you time to chat and relax, so you may want to order some beer or wine for the wait. I also enjoyed the wait because I got to spend a lot of time waving at this little Persian kid who was obviously the fucking cutest, happiest little boy in the whole world. When our food finally came, the kabobs were excellent, well spiced and flavored, especially the soltani. I ordered the soltani medium and it was kinda rare. It kept turning the rice pink from blood but it tasted great. I sampled Grace and Jenny's stews and I would have to say just OK. The beef in the gormeh sabzi was a little stringy and dry. Overall, I would say Persia House is very similar but not quite as good as Famous Kabob (which is right down the street), but the ambiance is nicer than Famous Kabob. Persia House definitely has the potential to improve over time, so I say check it out. On a side note, after leaving Persia House, which was only about 25% full, we passed by the Cheesecake Factory, where people were lined up to eat. This is so sad to me.
Persia House- B
Persian Kid-A+

Alien vs. Predator-Not as bad as it could have been. Grace kept covering her eyes with her hands, which made me tense and augmented the small amount of tension generated by this poorly written movie. There was an unintentionally funny moment when the intrepid guide opens the door on the aging eccentric billionaire and he appears to be hitting a bong. Then in a second you realize he's sick and he was using some kind of asthma inhaler.
Alien vs Predator-D+

Ollipom-(on 21st st. where Big Mama's Soul Kitchen used to be)-There is a lot of buzz about this store, so after a largely fruitless hour at the Thrift Town on Stockton (fuck you, Bay Area clothes sellers, quit buying everything!) I decided to stop by, and it did not disappoint. I got a really cute shirt for six bucks that is the kind of thrift store find that you just don't see anymore. She has lots of cute boots and bags, and the prices are pretty reasonable. The owner is very nice and was wearing a flamboyant orange dress that appeared to have had a previous life as a shower curtain. All this, and a pomeranian with a broken leg that gave me a half-hearted tail wag but no real love.
Ollipom-A
Handicapped Dog-C