...tiny pieces of beef, SPLIT PEAS, cinnamon, tomato and onion, all cooked with a whole DRY lime for that fruity-savory interplay so typical of Persian food.

For the better or worse, this seems to be the ONLY Persian restaurant left in Mnt View that is not a Deli/Market and still in business (there were a few other, but all closed). There are more (Persian/Afghani) in Sunnyvale, though...

For Gheymeh stew, it seems they use tomato sauce NOT tomatoes. In some restaurants, you see real (whole) tomatoes (like cherry tomatoes) in the stew, which tastes a lot better.

As a longtime fan of local restaurants (including this place), I appreciated the write-up. However I was surprised to see the writer single out the Kabul in _Redwood City_ for kebabs, yet say nothing about the much nearer (and related) Kabul in Sunnyvale on ECR (just outside MV), or its elegant 1994 spinoff Afghani House (on ECR at or near the Sunnyvale - Santa Clara border), or the longtime institution Chelokababi, a favorite local Persian restaurant (on Wolfe off ECR in Sunnyvale) though I haven't tried it in some years.

Of these, the two Afghan places (Sunnyvale's Kabul and Afghani House) have emphasized simple charcoal-grilled kebabs of marinated lamb or chicken; Chelokababi more the Persian specialties like spiced ground meats made into kebabs (though some of that cuisine also appears on the Afghan-restaurant menus too). Over the years I've enjoyed superb grilled specialties at all three, especially Afghani House. Which maintained the most upscale look, and became very popular after it opened in the 90s, later raising prices to meet the market. When Afghani House first opened, its proprietor told me that he and the people operating the two Kabuls were all cousins, so it makes sense to become familiar with the nearer alternatives, if you like the Kabul up the peninsula.

Chelokababi is genuine and great if you don't mind its location, which is in a strip mall. And with very high ratings on Yelp!