Arya Restaurant, Cupertino

Watching a movie at the AMC Cupertino Square 16 multiplex in Cupertino has become a Friday ritual for my friends and me and is compelling us to discover new restaurants in Cupertino. Bored with going to Mandarin Gourmet, BJ's and Blue Mango each Friday, we decided to try some new place and a quick search on google brought us to Arya. They call themselves a "Global Cuisine" restaurant that servers Persian, Italian, American food but its essentially a Persian place with a few dishes of the other cuisines thrown in the menu. And I have to admit they do a good job at their Persian food. The exterior of this restaurant does not prepare you for the plush upscale decor inside. We started our meal with a glass of white wine and the Middle Eastern appetizer sampler which consisted of an extremely generous amount of Maust O'Mooseer, Maust O'Khiar, Hummus and salad served with pita bread. For the main course, we ordered the Chicken Koobideh and Pollo Firenze. The Koobideh was one of the most flavorful and juciest I've had and the saffron rice with butter was a great accompaniment. The Pollo Firenze was spinach stuffed chicken served with mashed potatoes and a creamy white sauce and although it was good, it was no match for the Koobideh !! Finished up the dinner with a mango pudding served with fresh strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Definitely a place worth visiting again in Cupertino ...