RESTAURANT REVIEW : Saam: Iranian Food That’s a Bit Different

Fifteen years ago a friend of mine drove through Iran and compared it to eating your way across Nevada, only with shish kebab at every meal instead of chicken-fried steak. It’s true that Iran doesn’t have much of a restaurant tradition.

Unfortunately, most L.A. Iranian restaurants preserve this maxim in all its authenticity, and they also tend to have the classic melancholy immigrant atmosphere. Here and there, though, there are exceptions.

For instance, Saam, the Iranian hot spot of Pasadena: for once, an Iranian place with a bright, sophisticated design. It has a subtle bit of neon in the ceiling, and particularly elegant Persian miniatures and calligraphy on the light-colored walls. The banquette upholstery cleverly resembles the Central Asian fabric called ikat , or perhaps a seismograph going nuts.

An Iranian menu can escape the shish kebab straitjacket with its specials of the day, and Saam’s are sometimes more daring than usual. I’ve heard reports of fesenjan , the dish of meat in pomegranate and walnut sauce, made with venison. I’ve only had the usual chicken version, but I can report that the sauce is of industrial strength, a powerful concentrated sweet and sour (but mostly sour) pomegranate syrup with finely ground walnut in it.

There are some stewed dishes served with rice, and also a light and intriguing version of zereshk polo. This is where some roast chicken hides under a pilaf mixed with tart, translucent-red barberries.

Mostly, however, the menu is still kebabs of various kinds, including koobideh, a sort of skinless sausage of slightly oniony ground beef, and the “boneless chicken kebab,” a chicken breast appetizingly flavored with saffron and lemon. (On this menu, by the way, plain “chicken kebab” isn’t chicken at all but a whole Cornish hen.) The best of the kebabs is the lamb shish kebab, a couple of remarkably sweet and tender little grilled lamb chops that were probably marinated in onion juice.

Needless to say, there’s a $35 eat-till-you-drop combo plate for two consisting of koobideh , boneless chicken kebab and lamb chops plus plain pilaf and some salads, plus a lamb shank falling off the bone in saffrony lamb broth. With the lamb shank comes another pilaf full of dill and what look like miniature lima beans. The menu in fact calls them limas, but they’re sweet and not mealy and I say they’re green fava beans.

The sandwiches are mostly small versions of the kebabs in pita bread. An exception is the one called “roast chicken garlic.” It may not technically be roast chicken--the Persian side of the menu calls it beryani , meaning “fried”--but it’s definitely a bit garlicky and quite good, the bits of chicken rolled up tight in thin bread with onions, tomatoes and pickles.

Unfortunately, Saam feels the need to include some Lebanese-type appetizers, where it doesn’t really have the touch. Its hummus , pleasant though it is, totally lacks good sesame flavor, and its tabbouleh has scarcely any mint among the minced parsley. This is a little peculiar, since mint is popular in Iran. A plate of radishes, green onions and slightly fatigued herbs, including mint, is brought to you as soon as you sit down.

There are a couple of nut-filled Near Eastern pastries, of course, and one that is a sort of baklava filled with pastry cream. The desserts the restaurant are most proud of, though, are the ices, and they are certainly good. There are a bunch of them: almond, pistachio, lemon, excellent melon, and mango in a lurid shade of yellow.

What we have here is an Iranian restaurant that’s delightful to eat in and a little bit different. Saam’s a good sign.

Saam, 39 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena; (818) 793-8496. Open for lunch and dinner daily. No alcoholic beverages. Street parking. All major credit cards accepted. Dinner for two, food only, $23-$50.