Restaurant: Sadaf Location: 613 Pearl Street La Jolla, CA Phone: (858) 551-0643 Web site: www.sadafrestaurants.com Price Range: Lunch $5.95-$26.35, dinner $9.55-$26.35

Number of visits: a few
Last visit before review: February 9, 2002

Randy has had: Ash reshteh (vegetable, bean, and noodle soup), lamb kabob, shish kabob.

Jeff has had: Chelo kabob barg (thin filet mignon), iced tea.

Rating 7 (of 12) Good

Randy says: At a lunch meeting held at Sadaf I found the ash reshteh very beany. I was thinking of ordering the salmon kabob, but the waiter suggested the lamb kabob instead which was overcooked and somewhat tough.

Jeff says: At Sadaf for dinner the chelo kabob barg, which is my favorite Persian dish, was not bad. The filet was not as tender or flavorful as I've had elsewhere. I tried a bit of Randy's shish kabob and was surprised to find its thick chunks of filet more tender and flavorful than my thin-cut filet. The Basmati rice that comes with the meals, with its white base and saffron top, was moist and flavorful, and of course making liberal use of the sumac shaker to sprinkle the spice on top makes everything more tasty. Nothing could help the iced tea, however, which tasted like it came from a mix but had a nasty aftertaste.

Randy says: The shish kabob was pretty good. It was overcooked but tender and flavorful. The rice and grilled tomato that come with the meals were par for the course. In Jeff's chelo kabob barg I could really taste the marinade, and I thought the meat was tender.

There is not a wide variety of Persian food outlets in San Diego. Besides Sadaf in La Jolla and another location in the Gaslamp, there is but one other Persian restaurant we know of which is located downtown. This is in stark contrast to Orange County, where we frequented several good Persian eateries. Sadaf in La Jolla is small but the mirrored walls add a perception of space. Nonmirrored walls have arched niches and windows to add atmosphere. The food varies from disappointing to adequate, and the prices are on the high side. Somehow, since moving to San Diego our inclination to go out for Persian food has nearly vanished.