I bet the smell inside the Caspian Grill makes your mouth water, what with its menu of grilled lamb, chicken, steak and vegetables. I don’t know for sure, since I’ve had my food delivered, but each time the delivery bag had a wonderful aroma.
Most of the grilled items come in the form of kabobs, including eggplant ($5.95) and yes, hot dogs ($3.50). I ordered the ribeye steak ($6.95). The chunks of steak were heavily seasoned with pepper. They were tasty but very tough, requiring me to cut them in really small pieces to chew them. The pita on which the steak sat was extremely bland (even for pita) and dry. I did like the accompanying yellow rice, which was fluffy and had some flavor.
On Fridays, you can get grilled salmon ($13.95) or whole grilled rainbow trout ($13.95), which is what I picked. The trout was flaky and well-seasoned, and I appreciated that it was deboned. It’s a shame you can’t order this dish on other days.
Caspian Grill also features a bunch of dumplings, such as pelmeni. The lamb pelmeni ($6.95) were really good. The lamb is not super seasoned to let the natural flavor shine. The shell is soft but holds up well. The side of sour cream was fine, but I would have preferred vinegar.
That same shell can be found on the varenikes, which are similar to pierogi. I had mine filled with cherries ($6.95), and they made for a sweet, simple treat. As good as they were, I felt like I should have been dipping them in something, like whipped cream.
I’m not done. I also tried a fried piroshki ($2.50). It’s fried dough filled with potato, and it’s considered popular street food in Russia. I can see why: soft, chewy dough with a slight crispiness, stuffed with creamy potatoes. Like the varenike, I would have liked to have dipped the piroshki in some sort of sauce, but I did enjoy it as-is.
Caspian Grill is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday.
Tags: far west, Mediterranean
