la.foodblogging

Or at least that what I usually do when I go to Javan, my favorite of all the Persian restaurants I’ve been to on the Westside. I’ve been going there ever since they occupied the space where Nook currently is and have followed them down the street to there current location.

For me, what separates Javan apart from the other Middle Eastern restaurants is the quality of the food I get. You’ll get your fair share of detractors who claim that others are better, but having eaten at Javan for the better part of 10+ years, I can claim that the service and quality (as well as quantity) have been consitently excellent.

As with any restaurants, there are certain dishes that each does better than others and the signature dish for me has to be the Lamb Combination. You get boneless lamb tenderloin that is impossibly juicy. The natural lamb flavor is not overpowered by the spices they use. You also get a skewer of beef koobideh, which provides a great complement. Along that note, for all of the time that I’ve gone, I’ve never been disappointed with either the chicken or beef koobideh. They are very delicately spiced so you’ve got a great mixture of the natural meat taste alongside the parsley and onion.

Other great dishes include the shish kabob (lamp chops), the lamb shank, and the loubia polo (pictured above), which consists of rice mixed with ground beef and green beans alongside a beef koobideh. The rice is especially tasty since it has absorbed all of the flavor of the meat. Perhaps the best description I can give the lamb dishes is that one time, my father’s friend continued knawing on the lamb chop bones for a good 10 minutes after the all meat was mostly consumed, trying to get those last few precious pieces. I’ve been known to meticulously pick everything (and I mean everything) off of the lamb shank.

Apart from those dishes, almost everything that I’ve tried at Javan has been very good. When I’m not in the mood for poultry or red meat, their white fish kabob is a great (and only) alternative. The skin has a that great crackling crisp and the fish avoid the dreaded dry flakes that can happen when fish gets grilled.

Depending on your choice for the meal, your tab can run from $16-20 a plate before tax and tip. While this may seem a lot, for the average person, each plate probably would consist of 2 meals.

Javan Restaurant
11500 Santa Monica Blvd.
11:30am to 11pm daily.

By Jeff (see more of his posts).