8 Overall Rating - Rumi's Kitchen 01/13/11

6152 Roswell Road Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30328-3909
(404) 477-2100
http://www.rumiskitchen.com/

Ambiance: 7
We were surprised to find the restaurant so full on this particular Thursday evening, which was only a few days following the snow storm that shut down the entire city of Atlanta for several days. We were greeted by Stevenson Rosslow, their General Manager, whom coincidentally was the GM of my all-time favorite restaurant, BluePointe, from 1999-2007...exactly during the time when I was often found enjoying martinis and sushi there. He explained to us that most weeknights draw this crowd size, and that it's recommended that reservations are made on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised as I’ve always noticed a line of cars waiting for valet in their parking lot.

Rumi’s Kitchen is furnished with granite-top dining tables and solid, comfortable dining chairs. They make great use of their patio space in the winter. The heated patio area is enclosed with a tent material on top of a decorative stone floor. The restaurant is conveniently located on Roswell Rd just north of I-285. However, the parking lot’s limited access makes the location a bit undesirable.

Food Quality: 8
We loved the fact that we were first welcomed to our table by a basket of warm flatbreads, dry rub mixture and a plate filled with mint leaves, fresh tarragon, feta cheese, radishes, walnuts, olives and butter. It reminded me of a Persian version of an antipasto plate.

For starters, we ordered the Kashk Badenjoon, a blend of sauteed eggplant & onions which we used as a spread. We also ordered the lamb sliders at the GM's recommendation. The lamb sliders were like gourmet gyros, topped with a tomato slice, miniature pickle, yogurt, mint leaves and dry-rubbed spiced red onions. The lamb was incredibly tender. Both appetizers were delicious.

For entrees, Greg ordered the special, Duck Fesenjoon. The sauce for the duck was delicious, but the rest of the entree didn't do much for us, accompanied with plain butter rice and a small mound of pomegranate.

I ordered Jody's favorite, the shrimp kabob. I can see why this is her favorite. The shrimp must have been fed with steroids or some other growth hormone because they were absolutely enormous! Succulent and perfectly grilled. The buttered rice was peppered with orange peel, almonds, and barberries. When you taste the rice, you're met with a sweet buttery flavor that ends in a surprising tart finish. The tart finish keeps you coming back for more of the sweet buttery flavors and becomes a vicious cycle until you can't possible have another bite.

Service: 9
Our server did a nice job explaining all the meals, the condiments and traditional Persian style of eating their food. She was accommodating and quick to make recommendations upon request. Even after I managed to spill my entire drink on the floor, she didn’t miss a beat.

Value: 6
Fair prices, but I wouldn’t categorize this as a great value. Two entrees, two appetizers, two non-alcohol drinks came to $88.90 (including gratuity).