Stopping in, stepping out

Caspian Deli & Grocery is great casual food with a story

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You’ll have to be OK with picnic casual: good food made simply by friendly people. If you like that, you’ll like Caspian Deli & Grocery — an unassuming Middle Eastern market on Pearl and 26th Street that does nothing but charm as soon as you walk in the door.

In fact, you might overlook the door. Sandwiched between Salvaggio’s and a store that sells afghan rugs, Caspian may be the place that you always drive past and just never stop into. Well, time to stop.

You’re immediately met by smiles. Three women chatting around a clean, wooden table with a small vase in the middle. One of the women greets us and goes behind the counter. The assumption, prompted by posters so old, with such low prices and so curiously in good shape that they look like they were overnighted from 1992 Kuwait, was that I should get a gyro. The recommendation from our shopkeep was lamb loin and chicken curry over rice. That worked.

The woman went back and pulled a few things together in the small kitchen, and I browsed the store. The market side of the shop did not succumb to the haphazardry of other international markets. That is, it was clean, and all the products were fresh and without dust — a low standard, I know. Looking through five varieties of rosewater and twice as many brands of grilled eggplant, it was easy to see the care involved in stocking the store and that my assumption of Caspian being largely passed by must be wrong — they must turn over products quickly. In the refrigerators were drinks from all over the Middle East, braids of goat cheese, giant jars of freshly pickled items, yogurts and more. There was just so much variety in things you never see one of at Whole Foods (there were like eight brands of Turkish delight), and that seems to be a good way to judge an international market.

We get the food and bring it to the end of the dining area that looks out on the business end of Pearl Street. As we take the first bites, the woman who greeted us heads out the door, arm around arm with a friend, laughing, never to be seen again that night and before I can ask, “Where are you from,” or “Who’d you learn to cook from,” or “What flavors of ‘Yuri’s Non-alcoholic Grain Drink’ should I get?” 

But the food on the plastic plate tells the stories for her. The first plate of chicken curry had a subtle, well-balanced spice. It was nearly charred on the outside; the meat inside was dark and savory. It also fell immediately off the leg bone. Accompanying the drumstick was a plate of rice pilaf cooked with raisins and almonds — a Middle Eastern specialty. The raisins were plump black orbs that popped with juice and the orange rice was dry, long and cooked to perfection. Also on the plate was a small salad with a zesty and medium-bodied dressing, red onion, cucumber and tomato. There was also a fantastic yogurt on the plate that was sweeter than normal and without that dank yogurt tang. I mixed it in with the rice and chicken and had a blast.

The other dish was a lamb loin that was served on the bone and fell apart just by looking at it. It was clear that this masterpiece was cooked down for a day (or maybe even longer) in tomato and minimal spices. The meat had such deep character, and no gaminess, and the marrow and fat on the original loin made me recall the recent study that “fat” is the sixth taste sense.

Ending with a great baklava — dense, moist cake with honey and brown sugar — I was happy to throw out the plates, chat with the new shopkeeper behind the counter about the food and be on my way. Also casual (and perhaps a product of its location near the university) were the prices: about $6 for our plates, and less than $4 for some sandwiches.

Caspian is a great place to grab a casual bite you can’t really get elsewhere. That is, it’s worth stopping in finally.