Middle Eastern culture is well known for its emphasis on hospitality, and Cafe Natasha is a lovely exemplar of the generosity that is extended to guests throughout the Middle East. On a recent visit, on an extremely frigid evening, we were warmly greeted, seated and immediately served a hot, steaming glass of strong tea. It was a most appreciated welcome.

Despite its name, this small, charming restaurant in the Loop specializes in Persian, not Russian, cuisine. Once inside that's completely obvious, as colorful prints of Persia decorate the walls.

The restaurant is named after the owner's daughter. Owner Hamishe Bahrami, who comes from an area of Iran close to the Caspian Sea, came upon the name Natasha in a Russian novel she read as a child. It struck her as romantic, exotic and adventuresome, and so she bestowed it on her daughter.

It is an appropriate name because for many Americans, especially those unfamiliar with Middle Eastern cooking, Persian cuisine is romantic, exotic and adventuresome. And delicious. What distinguishes Middle Eastern cooking is the ingredients: the stress on eggplant, garlic, yogurt, chick peas and grilled meats. The food itself, while an intriguing and subtle blend of tastes, is actually quite mild.

The dinners at Cafe Natasha are rather substantial affairs; diners have a choice of salad, soup or an appetizer-sized portion of feta cheese and herbs. So we settled on two small appetizers. The colossal hot olives ($2), in a pickled mixture, were tart and medium hot. The shirazi ($2.95), a salad of finely chopped tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and parsley with a light lemon dressing, was wonderfully refreshing. I felt healthy just eating it.

We both opted for soup, called osh, which is also available a la carte for $2.50. There was no better choice for a freezing night. Osh is a thick, hearty soup with a consistency like a good black bean soup. Osh, however, is made of lentils and barley, with a whisper of cumin. It was among the best lentil soups I've ever had. Our server Dana was right to recommend it so strongly. For our entrees, we selected, again at Dana's urging, the lamb shish kabob ($11.50) and the eggplant platter ($10.50). Both were splendid.

The lamb came with rice, which was exquisitely prepared. Cafe Natasha uses the nutty-tasting basmati rice, and every grain is separate and distinct. It is then served with herbs and cooked tomatoes, with a sprinkling of saffron on top. People can add a little dusting of sumac if they choose. The eggplant platter had a little something of everything.

The eggplant was mashed to the consistency of refried beans, spiced with garlic and onions and topped with a few chick peas. Along with it were a few slices of kookoo, a souffle-like pie made with herbs, eggs and walnuts. A sauce of homemade yogurt with cucumber, scallions, dill and mint is then poured on the kookoo, which has as a somewhat bitter taste. The platter was garnished with feta cheese.

Hamishe makes her own desserts, so we decided to be polite guests and ordered a slice of her peach custard pie with almonds on top ($2.50). We were happy we did.