Photograph by Paul Myers
Co-owned by brothers, Saied Javad and Ali Mehranfar, the Rose International Market and Deli at 14445 Big Basin Way specializes in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods.
Rose International opens with Middle Eastern flaire
By Suzanne Cristallo
Dubbed nature's most labor-intensive fruit, the pomegranate yields a brilliant red pulp with a sparkling sweet-tart flavor. The pulp surrounds hundreds of tiny, edible seeds packed in compartments inside a hard shell, waiting to be freed by chefs who understand the potential of the often-misunderstood rare fruit.
The English, or Persian, walnut, with its hard shell cracked open, reveals a plump, meaty and crisp nutmeat that can produce a fragrant and flavorful oil.
Shiren Parrizi understands how these two foods can come together with chicken in a stew and make people happy.
Parrizi is the chef at Rose International Gourmet Market in Saratoga. She travels a lot. The recent opening of the Rose Market--known for a while as the Caravan Market on Big Basin Way--has become another important stop for her on her rounds to the restaurants and delis owned by brothers Saied, Javad and Ali Mehranfar, local restaurateurs for nearly a quarter of a century.
She oversees the cooking at their two Los Altos restaurants: Picollo's, which caters European dishes at banquets for hundreds of guests; and Hoskhouneh, an old-fashioned, formal eatery serving traditional Persian cuisine; as well as at the first Rose International Gourmet Market in Mountain View.
"In downtown Saratoga, you have to know how to do business," says co-owner/manager Saied Mehranfar, reflecting on the closure of the market facility for many months under a previous tenant and on his choice not to reopen right away. While he obtained a lease from the property landlord two years ago, he did not want to open the Rose Market until he could devote himself full-time to it.
"If you make a mistake here, you can't make it again," he says, noting that Saratoga lacks the foot traffic that provides a substantial amount of walk-in business for his other properties. Saied, 50, is the full-time market and deli manager for the Saratoga market, while his brothers run the other restaurants and market. He brings 14 years of market experience to the newly expanded shop, which offers prepared foods from the Mediterranean and Middle East. It has a meat market, a fresh produce section and a deli, which serves coffees, sandwiches, soups and hot dishes.
Buoyed by two months of business since his opening in October, he smiles. "People here have been wonderful to us. I see their faces [after eating the food]. They come again. That's good."
The chicken stew may be a reason for customers uninitiated in Middle Eastern food to return. Called sesengjan, the Iranian dish is made in the market deli with fresh chicken marinated a day ahead in lemon, onion, saffron and extra virgin olive oil. The seasoned chicken is grilled and presented as kabobs--skewered morsels--along with kabobs of lamb and filet mignon, called shishlick, from organically fed Harris Ranch steers. "All of our beef is 'Muslim kosher'--the ranch makes it special for Muslim people," he notes.
And Saied makes an extensive menu for everyone. There are two soups to try on any day: ghorneh sabzi is a long-simmered combination of parsley, cilantro, leek, senujreek, pinto beans, dry lemon and meat. "When people have a party, they order 10 pounds at a time," he says. Sandwiches are $4.95 each for falafel and lamb, chicken and filet mignon kabobs. There are also cutlet meat and potato, vegetable quiche ("We call it koo koo") and olivich--a chicken salad with potatoes, egg, peas and optional tomatoes, pickles and onions. All can be served on custom bread, or lavosh, made-to-order by throwing it against the sides of a deep, tandoori oven. Persian rice is a must.
Rose International Gourmet Market, 14445 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. Open daily 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Call 408.867.1666 for more information.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
