Best-Kept Secret on Burnet
Pars Mediterranean Supermarket & Deli
Tucked away in the Crossroads Shopping Center, surrounded by the flashy blur of grab-and-gos and chain restaurants, lies this tiny, unassuming gem, a diamond in the rough, a delicate fig tenderly ripening in the shade amid a jungle of barbaric fast-casual weeds. If this sounds too poetic, you clearly have not yet tried the zereshk polo, which will have you reciting ruba'i, ghazal, and mathnawi like a boss. Yes, Pars is classified as "Greek/Mediterranean," and yes, they have falafel and hummus and gyros, but the star here is the solidly Persian cuisine: juicy chicken kabobs, sumptuous eggplant khoresht, inimitable pomegranate soup, and the aforementioned zereshk polo - tender chicken swimming in spiced broth to pour on a platter of rice fortified with sauteed onion, dried barberries, crushed pistachio, and slivered almond. Oh, sweet, sweet Suite 502 - the best-kept secret on Burnet - you are lyrics to our lips.
Pars Mediterranean Supermarket & Deli
8820 Burnet Rd. #502, 512/452-4888
www.austinparsdeli.com
