the problem with Persian food

Kate Washington reviews a Persian restaurant in the middle of nowhere this week. She wonders why there are so many woefully underpatronized middle eastern restaurants in the area. I totally agree that this is true and this is my theory about why this is so. Most places, especially Persian places, are trying to be too fancy. I think this is kinda touching because I imagine that most of the owners are immigrants (I'm just assuming here, some could be native Iranian-Americans) and I think that they are nostalgic for the fancy places that they would go to for special occasions back home. These restaurants are often in cavernous, mostly empty spaces, and they have gaudy decorations and sometimes slightly stiff, formal service as K.W. mentioned. I have also found that middle eastern restaurants are more likely than even really fancy restaurants to make you feel bad when you are splitting something or just want a salad. The owners often seem disappointed that you are not there for a lavish feast with your whole family. It's understandable that this is what they want, especially because they probably think that if you can attract those out for a celebratory family meal this will translate into more money for them, but the problem is that everyone is not always in the mood for a big feast. The only restaurant that I have seen this work well for is Famous Kabob, which is an established and long-standing place, and it is usually packed with Persian families. I bet there is all kinds of street and cafe food in Iran that is delicious, and the owners of these restaurants probably ate that food on a daily basis back home. I wish there were some Persian restaurants around with food like that! There is just no reason that a plate of chicken and rice should be over 12 bucks. It is really simple food. And how much could it cost to make homemade yogurt? I'm guessing not much. You are really paying for the high rent and incidental expenses. So that's what I want, a little hole-in-the-wall, greasy, humid little Persian place downtown to hit up for lunch all the fucking time.