Big up to the Mirza

Q: When's Pomegranate, the Persian restaurant at College and Bathurst closed?
A: But of course, only on the day you decide to go for the first time, walking for 15 mins from school to the retaurant in -20 degree weather to have some Persian food after a gazillion years. Short answer: Mondays. (it opens at 5PM on other days).

That was quite an annoyance. But of course, there's always Tempus, the lovely Persian joint on Yonge and south of Welleseley (NOT the souvlaki house). So I go there, and it's empty as always, except only an elderly Canadian couple who were just leaving. I really feel bad when I go there and see that it's empty. It's just such a nice restaurant, probably the nicest Persian joint I've ever been to anywhere, when it comes to the ambience.

Where else do they serve fine Pesian cuisine in a relatively hip elegant setting with old funky jazz playing in the background? I know some Persians might not be too thrilled and will call this 'soosool bazi'. But is it bad to have Persian food in an elegant ambience which isn't necessarily overwhelmed with totally cliche Persian 'stuff' ? Does it make the actual food any less Persian? What's wrong with enjoying Jazz while having ghormeh sabzi? Who says you have to have traditional Iranian music, or even worse, Iranian pop music, play while you have a meal?

Anyway, I ususally get full after eating 1/2 of the Soltani kabab and 1/5 of the accompanying rice, so ordering the Mirzaghasemi as a starter to Baghali Polo was over-ambitious. Although the non-Persian speaking waiter mistakenly brought me a Gheymeh polo, I didn't say anything; didn't want to get him in trouble (no i'm not always this nice). Besides, I like them both.

As I skimmed thru some papers I'd been meaning to read for a while, I chuckled when the two newly arrived obviously non-Iranian ladies 'WOW'ed in fascination with the ways of the Persian tea, as meticulously explained to them by the waiter. You know, the whole 'separate pots' deal for the tea and the hot water. Them trying to pronounce Kashk e Bademjoon was equally amusing, but the waiters supposedly 'correct' pronounciation, as he was teaching them, was the best =D. (To my surprise, they fell in love with the Kashk e Bademjoon btw).

Anyway, I think they have live Jazz on Friday and Saturday nights. I'm going to go this week with a few friends I think, I really hate to see these guys close down. You should go too.