So last week, I was trying to be a good older brother and took out my fresh-out-of-college-not-making-any-money-yet little sister out to dinner to spend some quality family time together. I IMed her and said “hey, what do you think about Persian food” and she replied “yeah, that would be cool, I hardly ever go eat Persian.” I figured a nice classy dinner at Caspian Restaurant in Irvine, good food, good brother-sister conversation would make a good night.We did get that. We also got some additional entertainment.
First, the food. I had the soltani, recommended by our server, which was a long skewer of filet mignon and long skewer of ground beef served with basmati rice. Despite my normal non-red meat tendencies, I found the filet succulent, marinated nicely with a ton of flavor, and plenty tender and juicy even after it had been sitting out for awhile. The ground beef was comparatively bland, but eaten with grilled tomato helped offset some of the savoriness of the filet.
My sister opted for fesenjon, a chicken stew with a pomegranate and walnut sauce on a bed of crispy and basmati rice. The sauce was very thick and a bit on the tart side; I barely even noticed the chicken. And though I know it’s supposed to be that way, it was a bit of a put off – I guess I prefer a sauce with a hint of sourness to be lighter so it doesn’t totally dominate the palate. Still, the portions were good-sized and the service was spot-on.
Then there was the entertainment. It started out with a band, which played an eclectic mix of jazz, traditional Persian songs, and remade American covers. Caspian has a big dance floor and stage in the middle of the restaurant (it’s ideally set up for big wedding receptions) and, in classic OC fashion, a soccer mom and her four blond kids got into the beats and were gyrating up a storm, much to the amusement of the lead singer. I was most amused by the curious cover of Lionel Richie’s “Stuck on You” mixed with a cover of “I Will Survive”.But the highlight, or lowlight depending on your perspective, was when the band cleared the stage and the belly dancers came up. There are a number of Middle Eastern/North African places throughout LA that have belly dancing. Some are more G-rated than others, and the attractiveness of the dancers can certainly vary widely as well. At Caspian, the three women were young, slim, and toned, and showed off their exquisite, um, skill (see the blond in the cover picture). The on-stage routines, set to both traditional folk songs and urban techno beats, were great. When the dancers went out table to table for tips, the intensity got raised up a notch.
During the next fifteen minutes, the dancers worked the room, eliciting the evil eye of girlfriends and wives as they shook provocatively in front of boyfriends and husbands who tried to not grab anything inappropriate while tucking their ones and fives in the dancers’ belts, hips swaying about two feet in front of their faces. My sister and I laughed at the disgusted looks. A group of older Middle Eastern women wearing hijab got up and left after being seated for five minutes. My sister pondered the similarity between these belly dancers and strip club dancers. I said nothing.In actuality, Caspian is an elegant, classy establishment, decorated with beautiful statues and paintings in the foyer, big columns and arches as you enter the dining room, and high ceilings with lots of open space inside. The food is of good quality, though a bit pricey compared to the less festive restaurants in Little Gaza off Brookhurst in Anaheim. But be forewarned of what you’re getting yourself into (at least on Wednesday through Saturday when they have the live entertainment) so you don’t have to walk home alone after dinner.
I’m just glad I was with my sister and not my mom.
Caspian Restaurant
14100 Culver Dr.
Irvine, CA 92604
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