Honey Mediterranean Gourmet and Market
1150 Teaneck Road
Teaneck, NJ 07666
Phone: (201) 530-5082
Part of the continuation of "The Burbs Don't Suck That Bad," I've found some delicious Persian food nearby that's going to be part of our restaurant rotation. For those who do not know, Persian food is Iranian food and really unlike anything I've ever had. I've had foods from other areas in the region - Turkish, Afghani, Pakistani etc - and it seems quite different still. Either way, this place is pretty delicious.
Our Menu
Kashk-o Badmejan *
Sauteed Eggplant Blended into a Paste and Topped with Sour Cream
A pretty fun eggplant dip served with some thin flat bread. The immediate thought is to compare it to baba ghanoush, but it is definitely not the same. Baba is generally creamy and rich. This was not creamy at all and felt like ground up eggplant that was more chunky than smooth. The interesting thing was the black stuff on top which was fried up mint. It was decent as a stand alone, but combined with the parsley and raw onion it was very tasty.
Koobideh Kabob *
Two Skewers of Charbroiled Lean Ground Beef and Lamb with Persian Seasonings
A very fun dish (better than the eggplant) with some pretty big flavors. Again, trying to compare this to a shwarma or a donner sandwich and you really get something different. Spices were completely taking me in a new direction. It seems like they use a lot of sumac (ground tart berries), so not only is the dish savory/salty, but it's also sour. Potentially the use of cumin, but it was hard to get my head around the seasonings since I've never had anything like it before.
Zereshk Polo **
Basmati Rice Topped with Barberries with Slivered Almonds, Pistachio, and Saffron Served with Chicken
This was a knockout dish with huge flavors. The chicken was moist and insanely flavorful (no idea on the seasonings), but the shocker was that it was finished with butter. Not sure if this is truly Persian, but regardless, it was still delicious. The rice dish was sour and slightly sweet due to the barberries (think dried cranberries) and it had an interesting contrast of textures with the almonds and pistachio.
Rating SystemSauteed Eggplant Blended into a Paste and Topped with Sour Cream
A pretty fun eggplant dip served with some thin flat bread. The immediate thought is to compare it to baba ghanoush, but it is definitely not the same. Baba is generally creamy and rich. This was not creamy at all and felt like ground up eggplant that was more chunky than smooth. The interesting thing was the black stuff on top which was fried up mint. It was decent as a stand alone, but combined with the parsley and raw onion it was very tasty.
Koobideh Kabob *
Two Skewers of Charbroiled Lean Ground Beef and Lamb with Persian Seasonings
A very fun dish (better than the eggplant) with some pretty big flavors. Again, trying to compare this to a shwarma or a donner sandwich and you really get something different. Spices were completely taking me in a new direction. It seems like they use a lot of sumac (ground tart berries), so not only is the dish savory/salty, but it's also sour. Potentially the use of cumin, but it was hard to get my head around the seasonings since I've never had anything like it before.
Zereshk Polo **
Basmati Rice Topped with Barberries with Slivered Almonds, Pistachio, and Saffron Served with Chicken
This was a knockout dish with huge flavors. The chicken was moist and insanely flavorful (no idea on the seasonings), but the shocker was that it was finished with butter. Not sure if this is truly Persian, but regardless, it was still delicious. The rice dish was sour and slightly sweet due to the barberries (think dried cranberries) and it had an interesting contrast of textures with the almonds and pistachio.
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way
Overall Restaurant Experience
- Food – Really comforting food that took me into new directions with the Persian.
- Service – One server who is very friendly and helped us understand the menu. Food came out pretty quick, but we were the only ones there.
- Atmosphere – Small place - maybe seating about 30 or so. The interesting thing is there is a Persian market in the back where you can buy some hard to find ingredients. We got there on a weekday night and it was completely empty.
- Price - Entrees are about $8-12 so totally reasonable.
Definitely going to pay a return visit and definitely inspiring me to research what these Persian flavors are all about.
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