Pomegranate, 420 College, at Bathurst, 416-921-7557
Anyone who believes there’s nothing more to Middle Eastern cooking than hummus, falafel and baba ghanouj should make tracks to chef Alireza Fakhrashrafi and partner Danielle Schrage’s west-side resto pronto. There, they’ll encounter intoxicating Persian stews like ghormeh sabzi (meaty veal stew laced with spinach, beans and dried lime) as well as adas polo (roast chicken sided with rosewater-scented basmati tossed with dates, sultanas and slivered almonds). Mideast relations have never been so tasty.