TASTE
of
TYSONS
Persian Delight: Shamshiry
is a Taste of Home BY RENÉE SKLAREW
Stop in Shamshiry, day or night, and you are likely to see groups sharing a meal and relishing the familiar taste of their homeland. This family-owned restaurant serves as a communal gathering place for Iranian expats who dine alongside other international patrons enchanted by this evocative cuisine. Although most Americans will never have the
opportunity to visit Iran, diners can still experience an authentic Persian meal thanks to Shamshiry, a fixture in the Tysons Corner restaurant scene since 1993. Tucked behind the entrance of an unassuming office building on Route 7, Shamshiry has become a popular outpost for people working around the area. The restaurant does a brisk to-go business at lunch, but it’s never too early or too late to see large families gathered there. Shamshiry acts as a kitchen or dining room table to groups of Middle Easterners. They come for the heaping plates of fluffy basmati rice—some flavored with dill or butter—and the smoky charcoaled kabobs. Epicurious.com calls Persian cooking a “Mother Cuisine.” It provided a foundation of flavors and cooking techniques that influenced developing cultures along the Silk Road. Beginning with Cyrus the Great in 6th Century B.C., Persian perfumed stews, roasted meat and fruit-infused rice spread to the Far East and North Africa. During the Middle Ages, Arabs conquered Persia and began incorporating their preference for mixing sweet and sour flavors into traditional dishes. Although Persian cuisine has evolved over time, basmati rice continues to hold a place of honor on virtually every plate*.
110 VivaTysons
◊ JANUARY // FEBRUARY 2015
Beginners: What to Order After taking a seat in the saffron-colored dining room, open the bag of warm flatbread on the table. I recommend ordering the creamy Mast-o Khiar—a bowl of tart yogurt with sliced cucumbers, chopped dill and other herbs—it’s very fresh and mellow. The Persian Salad Bowl is another fine start to a meal here. The salad is prepared with cucumbers, tomatoes, sliced black olives, kidney beans and goat cheese mixed with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice.
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