Saratoga News

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Jalali Majid, owner of Laleh's Burger and Grill, caters to American tastes as well as those of his homeland, Iran.

American and Persian fare mix well at Laleh's

By Suzanne Cristallo

Corned beef, tuna salad, roast beef, turkey, Reubens, BLTs and quarter-pound cheeseburgers. They're all there at Laleh's Burger and Grill in Los Gatos. They're what customers expect when they slip into the roomy, carved-wood booths with padded seats--reminiscent of a time when days seemed to have more hours--and watch owner Majid Jalali busily making beef patties jump on the grill. It's been a comfortable expectation for 12 years for the regulars who relish a Laleh burger.

What surprises the newcomer is the extensive Persian menu. Jalali added it two years ago and finds he has as many customers wanting his kabobs as his burgers. A large local community of Persians--or Iranians--knows what to expect. They have seen Jalali and his kabobs discussed on NIMA TV, the San Jose Iranian-language station where Jalali says his kabobs were called "the best."

There are skewers of lamb, chicken and beef, marinated with Persian spices and charbroiled. A house specialty is the Kabob Koobideh--a Persian national food--which consists of two skewers of ground beef mixed with onions, seasoned and served over basmati rice, garnished with saffron, parsley and onion, for $6.95.

"I would like to do something for [Los Gatos Weekly-Times] readers," says Jalali, who believes one taste of Persian food will make a regular of anyone. "I offer the Kabob Koobideh to them for $5.95."

Jalali has been in the community for 29 years. His daughter, for whom the restaurant is named (Laleh means "tulip"), has just started San Jose State University; his son, 15-year-old Keon, is at Los Gatos High School. Jalali emigrated from his home in Mashad, Iran, to San Jose in 1967 to become a student himself, knowing little English, at West Valley College. He went on to SJSU, where he earned a bachelor's degree in engineering. His first job as a drafter with a large corporation was detestable to him, lasting only three weeks. Realizing his true calling, he took subsequent jobs as a restaurant manager until he eventually bought his own place, which began as a deli in 1986.

Jalali is a man of strong beliefs. He believes wholeheartedly in his food but disdains the advertising of it. "I offer a good cheeseburger--a quarter-pounder starting at five ounces of certified Black Angus beef," he says. "Only Facciola Meat Company has it. I say this because I am offering my customers something they want, and people who want to be in business long must do that." He says word-of-mouth is the best advertising, not two-for-one gimmickry.

Relieved that his parking problems with the town as described in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times have been solved, Jalali now can concentrate on his menu. Besides his burgers, he recommends the Kabob Barg, a skewer of marinated filet mignon served over basmati rice. The Persian drink, doogh--a combination of soda and yogurt--might be a fitting accompaniment.

Laleh's Burger and Grill, 551 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos. Open Mon.-Sun., 11 a.m.-9 p.m. 354-4545.

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