LEO's Eats with Robin Garr
The rack of lamb at Saffron's
Just over a month ago I spoke with joy of the memorable rice ball experience at Silvio’s. I love Italian rice balls! Two-bite rounds of deliciously spiced and seasoned rice, rendered crunchy and crusty, served with a savory sauce? Rice balls make a great appetizer, not to mention the ultimate bar snack.
And now I’m here to tell you about another rice ball, the Persian-accented, herb-scented kofteh berengee (herbed rice balls) at Saffron’s.
Utterly different but every bit as appetizing as the Italian item, these spheroids start with long-grained, floral-scented basmati rice, I believe - a pilaf to the Italians’ risotto - and meld them gently with fine-chopped sabzi, the aromatic blend of peppery parsley, tender watercress and hauntingly aromatic tarragon that’s one of the joys of Persian cuisine.
Fried crunchy yet light and grease-free and served with a fresh tomato sauce that’s lighter than marinara, they’re complex and compelling, and somewhat mysterious. Their careful construction and thoughtful flavors bespeak the approach to fine Persian dining that makes Saffron’s a long-term keeper.
Saffron’s was founded in 2001 by restaurateur Majid Ghavami, who was among a number of Iranian students who came to Louisville in the 1970s to study at UofL, and remained in the U.S. when the Ayatollah came to Iran. Quite a few of them later took jobs at the storied Casa Grisanti, adding a healthy leavening to the city’s restaurant culture. Ghavami’s leadership and genial front-of-the-house presence made Saffron’s a hit. He moved on to run Volare, and later opened Majid’s. But he left Saffron’s in the hands of a friend, Reza Dabbagh, and it’s still going strong. ...
Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/saffr ... erm-keeper
See this column also in LEO Weekly:
http://www.leoweekly.com/2016/06/saffro ... rm-keeper/
Saffron’s Persian Restaurant
131 W. Market St.
584-7800
http://saffronsrestaurant.com
Robin Garr's rating: 90 points