Moby Dick's offers a new taste to downtown

Should you find yourself in downtown Silver Spring and in the mood for something other than the hustle and bustle of typical chains, then Moby Dick: House of Kabob, is the place to stop for some traditional Persian cuisine. Moby Dick's is sandwiched between two of Silver Spring's most popular hotspots, Chipotle and Starbucks. The atmosphere is clean and spacious and the wide variety of meat dishes will leave you wanting more.

It may take a minute to figure out the restaurant's theme of culture and cuisine, until you take a closer look around. The restaurant's atmosphere is casual yet classic, with crème colored tiled floors and a mirrored wall that makes the restaurant appear larger and more spacious.

Moby Dick's mildly attempts to provide a Middle Eastern vibe with its pictures of Iranian architecture hanging on the walls. A tropical, hut-like structure juts out of the ceiling above the cash register adding character and unique appeal. The pale yellow walls brighten up the room and small, dimly lit, ceiling lamps hang directly above the booths while soft instrumental music plays in the background.

The menu offers a variety of choices including salads, sandwiches, vegetarian meals, meat platters, desserts and Persian drinks, including homemade doogh ($1.89). The salads are ordinary American style salads with Persian style meats added to them. The garden salad ($3.99) is plain with chopped iceberg lettuce, onions, mushroom and a few tomato and cucumber slices placed on top. The ingredients were not mixed together and there was entirely too much lettuce to accompany the minimal portions of other veggies. The "special house dressing" brought only one word to mind—bad.

Although Moby Dick's may not have mastered it's salads, the restaurant prepared meat entrees with success. The steak in Moby's chenjeh platter ($7.89) is definitely a must with its deliciously marinated and tender meat that left a delectable aftertaste. The platter also came with scrumptious pita bread, a bowl of rice and a small salad.

Customers must go up to the cashier to retrieve their order once the food is prepared and then take their tray of food back to their table—but a server would be a nice addition. Also, the food is served on Styrofoam plates with plastic silverware that can sometimes be annoying to eat with. The restaurant's attempt to save time and money on cleaning dishes not only provides an annoyance to all, but also detracts from the atmosphere of the restaurant.

The cost to dine at Moby Dick's is fairly modest. The average cost for a salad is priced at about $4 and platters are about $7. Moby's traditional entrees offer customary Persian food with options like kubideh, finely ground beef mixed with onions and spices, and joojeh, Persian style grilled chicken. These more authentic meals are considerably more expensive, with costs ranging from $8 to $14.

Moby Dick: House of Kabob provides a nicer, sit-down solace than the typical downtown Silver Spring atmosphere. While the salads may need improvement, the restaurant is serene and provides diners with a different scene. The employees are friendly and you will leave with a slight taste of traditional Persian cuisine is like.

Moby Dick's is located at 909 Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring.