Jake’s Choice in New York? Kabob at Ravagh Persian Grill in NYC

Hollywood hunk Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays the role of Dastan, a young prince in 6th century Persia in the blockbuster flick Prince of Persia, went through a virtual body makeover to prepare for his role in the film. And though he humorously dismisses his new muscles to little more than dealing with the upkeep of his mane during the film’s production, Gyllenhaal trained vigorously for the role, including sessions of Parkour, a French martial art.

Lock maintenance aside, in addition to picking up the gym bug, it seems like Gyllenhall also picked up at least one new Persian-oriented habit while making flick: an affinity for Persian food. In a cover story for the May 2010 issue of GQ magazine, Gyllenhaal talks about preparing for his role as Dastan, finding the perfect woman and the loss of his good friend, late actor Heath Ledger, among other subjects.

But the coolest thing about the article? Gyllenhaal does the majority of the interview with GQ writer Chris Heath at Ravagh Persian Grill in Manhattan, New York. The restaurant, according to the article, was Gyllenhaal’s choice. A classic example of life imitating art?

Maybe.

But those who have frequented one of the three Ravagh locations in New York (two in the city, one in Long Island) know there’s no denying that Ravagh is arguably the best Persian grub in the Big Apple.

Proprietor Kaveh Tehrani and his father run all 3 locations, spearheaded by the 30th St. location (the 1st to open, in 1996), which is straddled in the Persian rug dealer district. The Tehranis are no strangers to the entertainment industry, as they have produced some of the biggest Persian concerts in New York for the past few years, and have hosted many prominent Iranian performers at their eateries, including pop phenomenon Arash, who recently visited New York in February to accept the top International Artist of the Year at the Big Apple Music Awards. Arash was reportedly seen at Ravagh with his U.S. agent, Mayar Zokaei, and executives from G Unit Records, who met with Arash’s camp during the weekend to discuss the prospect of a musical collaboration between the popular Iranian-born Warner Music Sweden artist and an unnamed G Unit rapper.

Could this be G-G-G G Unit meets J-J-J- Jigar? Stay tuned!