• The Chicago River runs right through downtown Chciago.skyscrapers, chicago image by rese3282 from Fotolia.com
  
  Persian restaurants in this country tend to feature both noticeably fresh ingredients and exotic spices like sumac. Menu highlights are usually meats grilled on skewers served with long-grain rice and roasted tomatoes. Stews made with meat, or vegetables and legumes, and lamb shanks typically fill much of the rest of the entree sections of the menus. Many places offer dishes originating in the primarily Arabic Levant -- whose cuisine is broadly similar in style to Persian -- like hummus and baba ganoush. Chicago does not have very many Persian options, but there are a few. Most are moderately priced and also serve Middle Eastern dishes.
  
  

Noon-O-Kabab

• Opened in 1997 in the northwest side of Chicago, Noon-O-Kabob has grown to over 20 tables and a catering business by serving well-reviewed, homey and convenient Persian food at moderate prices. There are salads, soups and homemade yogurt dishes to start. Main dishes include grilled kabobs with chicken, beef in several guises, lamb, stews and seafood. For an inexpensive and quick-dining option, they serve Persian-style wraps such as the Koubideh Wrap. This consists of a skewer of ground sirloin beef seasoned with sumac and contained within a thin flat bread along with dill-seasoned rice, hummus, radishes, greens, onions and tomatoes. They have beer, wine and cocktails, and even Persian-style ice cream, a true treat.
  
  Noon-O-Kabab
  
  4661 N. Kedzie
  
  Chicago, Illinois 60625
  
  773-279-8899
  
  noonokabab.com
  
  

Pars Cove

• Pars Cove has been part of the dining mix of the Lincoln Park area since 1976. Quaint, charming and even romantic, it can be a respite for a quiet dinner in a bustling neighborhood filled with nightlife. Appetizers include the Shirazi salad, house-made yogurt, and stuffed grape leaves. The fairly lengthy list of entrées -- nearly 30 -- is divided among vegetable, chicken, lamb, steak, fish and shellfish preparations. These are grilled, sautéed, and even braised, as with the lamb shank. Prices are moderate. They have a full bar, and even a number of specialty martinis. To note, the restaurant has seemingly recovered from the publicity surrounding its serving salmonella-tainted hummus at the 2007 Taste of Chicago.
  
  Pars Cove
  
  435 W. Diversey
  
  Chicago, Illinois 60614
  
  773-549-1515
  
  parscove.com
  
  

Reza's

• This trio of restaurants serving primarily Persian along with Middle Eastern specialties has two locations in Chicago proper and one in neighboring Oak Brook. They cook a vast number of dishes, many of them grilled, which should satiate both the carnivore and the vegetarian. For the former, there is the expected lamb, beef and chicken, and also quail; seafood, too. Reza's offers a buffet during both lunch and dinner that is both a fine value and a way to enjoy possibly unfamiliar dishes. Diners can also order from a menu that includes family-style dining -- for tables of at least two. With these a group can enjoy a soup, salad, three appetizers and three entrées.
  
  Reza's
  
  432 W. Ontario
  
  Chicago, Illinois 60654
  
  312-664-4500
  
  rezasrestaurant.com