The miniature Persian restaurant formerly known as Café Caspian in University Heights has reinvented itself and perhaps left many to think that it blew completely off the map. Devoted patrons of the family-run eatery, however, know full well that the hospitable owner and her two very cool daughters simply skittered across the street into a larger space under the name Soltan Banoo.

The roomier structure allows for a comfortable front patio, extra indoor seating and an adequate kitchen replete with grill and oven hood. The result is a fuller repertoire of meat, rice and tofu dishes that are infused with exotic spices and cooked and served with the same tender loving care as before.

My dining companion, a first-time visitor, noted early into our meal that the food imparted a refreshing break from his perpetual pattern of Mexican, Italian and steakhouse dining. Indeed, an order of pomegranate-based Ash Anar soup made with beans, wheat and spinach broke the monotony with its unique sweet-and-sour earthiness. The flavors remained catchy right down to the last driblet.

From the appetizer list, we dallied through some hummus that was tinged with enough cayenne pepper to give it an attractive orange tint and kicky aftertaste. The Baba Ghanoush was also pleasing – smoky and lemonier than what you’ll find in other Middle Eastern restaurants.

An order of Sambosas was our first introduction to the restaurant’s judicious use of cinnamon, which scored well with the curried potatoes and green peas inside. Their mildly singed dough casings provided crispiness and a nice, toasted flavor. Yet with so much activity occurring on our taste buds, the Potato Pancakes with dill and quinoa seemed comparatively less interesting and a little too mushy for our liking.

The menu offers some excellent salad choices, all of which are big and nutritious. We chose the only two “raw” selections – the Strawberry Tabouli Salad, which tasted marvelously fruity and minty, plus the Banoo Salad that was richly textured with mixed greens, broccoli, seeds and nuts. The lime-ginger dressing imparted a snappy Asian twang that you wouldn’t expect derives from an Iranian recipe box.

But according to Mahin Mofazeli, who the denizens call “mom,” most of the dishes hail directly from her homeland. They’re modified only to embrace the greater availability of ingredients found locally. In certain rice dishes, for instance, Mofazeli tosses in cranberries, which “we don’t have in Iran,” she says. Mahi mahi and tilapia are the fish of choice in a few dishes, and certain wraps and dinner specials use free-range meats as their main components.

The warm connections that Mofazeli and her daughters strike with guests are admirable, if not rare in today’s formulated approach to service. Persian décor and small tables strewn between colorful banquettes create a homespun ambience that practically dictates interaction with the working ownership. Visit once, and you’ll likely be greeted on a first-name basis the next time around.

The family obviously took the feedback from its customers when restructuring the menu. The former Wednesday-only entrée (Zereshk Polo), for example, is now offered daily because of popular demand. The dish features a generous serving of ultra-tender chicken buried under a mound of basmati rice. The rice is heavily speckled with cranberries, barberries, orange rinds and almonds. And the chicken is slow roasted on a rotisserie, then soaked in broth and lemon juice for added appeal. I found the whole thing divine.

My dinner companion opted for the Baghali Polo, a homey dish of lamb shanks bathed in brown gravy. An undertone of cinnamon and other unidentifiable spices added a sweet and wondrous outcome to the meat, which was accompanied by basmati rice with fava beans and a small Shirazi salad of tangy cucumbers and tomatoes.

The menu embodies other worthwhile dinner specials that include grilled kabobs, savory stews and piquant curries, not to mention some hefty looking “wraps” that kept whizzing by us, which have been snagging the palates of customers since Mofazeli originally sprung onto the restaurant scene several years ago.

With the exception of chocolate cake, the desserts are made in-house. Baghlava, spelled and prepared a little differently than the Greek version, is available in two forms. The Persian style is heavily laced with cardamom. And the plain, which we liked better, takes on the expected filling of pistachios and walnuts. Rose water is the dominant flavor in the rice pudding, which for many is an acquired taste. And fans of nougat can wash down their Turkish Delight with one of the milky, vanilla-laced drinks that are made to order.

Soltan Banoo has evolved on the merits of family cooking and friendly service that uphold the comforts of neighborhood dining. It’s one of the few places in town where you’ll encounter reasonably priced, well-portioned meals served in an environment you can practically call home.