Genie in a restaurant

Genie's Persian Palace
6990 Moore's Lanae
Cool Springs, TN
615-370-7022

UPDATE: Sadly, Genie's Persian Palace closed.

Try this place, it has really great Persian food!

The cold food buffet bar

This place serves authentic Persian food and kebabs on a buffet that is reasonably priced. There were dishes with lovely flavors I have never experienced before because they are authentic, delicous Persian recipes. This place does not seem to be "dumbing down" the food for the average USA palette that only wants American-ized flavors. For example, much of the average Chinese food in the USA, like at a shopping mall, is not anywhere near what Chinese food is anywhere in China. It is American food with gravy made from soy sauce, msg and corn syrup. Anyway, the food at Genie's have complex flavors, ingredients and spices that are Persian. The food is honoring a long history of fine cuisine from the craddle of civilization.

The hot food buffet bar

The funny thing about this place is not the food, it is what the owners own. The owners, Mo and Shiva Karimy, own FAT MO's a Nashville renouned burger hut, drive through joint that has been recognized on the Food TV Network for excellent beef burgers. On rare occassions that I want a messy burger, I go to Fat Mo's because it is cooked to order as you sit in the drive-thru window. The spiced fries are good too. I like Fat Mo's for what it is, but it is a far, far, far cry from ethnic food. Fat Mo's is as American as you can get. So, I was surprised when Shiva Karimy wanted to open a Persian Restaurant. I was so afraid that this would be yet another Nashville restaurant claiming it is serving Persian food, and then serving the kebab equivalent of a cheap hamburger. To my surprise, THE FOOD AT GENIE'S IS GREAT!!! I am mean delicious!

My Plate

I tried shirazi salad, rice and lentils, chicken in pomegranate and walnuts stew, a red lentil curry, a yellow chicken curry, a green herb curry and beef, beef and chicken kebab, a tomato stew, and others that I cannot remember. The chicken in walnut and pomegranate was sweet, savory, slightly tart from the pomegranate, slightly grounded from the walnut and I just could drink it up all night long. It was a flavorful dish that exceeded its parts. Truly Divine! The best part was the homemade butter on bread. Having grown up in the USA, I don't get a lot of homemade butter, as a matter of fact, I never had homemade butter. This was truly a treat I want to taste again. The desserts were made with rosewater, which is an flavor I am not accustom, but I can appreciate the use of this ingredient. I cannot wait to go back there. I just cannot wait!

For those of you who are in Franklin or Nashville, TN, and are adventurous in dining on real Persian flavors, PLEASE try Genie's Persian Palace. It is located east of the Cool Springs Mall in a little strip mall. The directions are:
I-65
Take Moore's Lane West towards Franklin Rd
Right before you get to the traffic light at Franklin Road, there is a strip mall on the right.
Genie's is on the right side of the the little strip mall.

Give a call, go for yourself, and enjoy!

technorati tagged with:
Genie's Persian Palace