Restaurant experiment: Sitar Indian Cuisine

Sitar Indian Cuisine

729 20th Street South at University Boulevard

Birmingham, AL 35233

205-323-6500

http://www.sitarbirmingham.com

I’m not the best at reviewing Indian buffets mostly since I don’t remember what is what and what is the name of what, so this entry will be short and sweet.  Plus, I was here with colleagues so jotting down notes and such would be awkward.

Anyway, I’ve heard a lot of Sitar’s famous lunch buffet (website says they have it seven days a week), and I of course jumped at the chance to go one Friday afternoon.  Sitar apparently is a regional chain; the business card I snagged lists locations in Louisville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Huntsville, and Nashville.  Haha, I just noticed that Birmingham and Chattanooga are the only non-villes in the bunch.

I was worried we wouldn’t be able to be seated, but Sitar has a roomy space, and I was anxious for naught.  We were seated by a television which was broadcasting the weather forecast; a big storm was predicted for later, and folks were on edge.  [Spoiler: it was all overblown.]

I’m looking at the menu on the website, but I’m not sure what this bread was, but a personal standout  for me was this deep-fried and donut-like-but-not-sweet bread.  Mmm, fried bread.  I really liked everything I ate.  As with buffets, I was sad that I only got to eat a little of everything because I wanted to make sure I could try all of the dishes.  There are lots of options, sure to please veggies and non-veggies alike.  Sitar tones down the spice level for the buffet, but the dinner is supposed to be no-holds-barred; order spicy if you’d like.

Yay, dessert!  I delighted in some mango pudding with chunks of pineapple, as well as kheer.  If you like gulab jamun, the balls were up for grabs as well.  I dipped some of my mysterious fried bread into the mango, delish!  Hmm, I find it curious that I can remember the dessert names but nothing else.  That’s the sweet tooth talking!

The server and host were fine…plates cleared promptly, water filled periodically, smiling cashier.  That’s pretty much all you need with a buffet.  Two Birmingham Indian restaurants down, a few more to check out.  Good work, Sitar.

Restaurant experiment: Cafe Bombay

Café Bombay

2615 Briarcliff Road at Woodcliff Drive

Atlanta, GA 30329

404-320-0229

http://www.cafebombayatlanta.com [warning, has background music]

Café Bombay is actually located in the same small shopping center as Queen of Sheba, where I had eaten not too recently ago.  The parentals were the ones to tell me about this place since they had been several times and were over the moon about the lunch buffet.  We all went one Saturday, and I was pleased that the buffet was offered on Saturdays too, not just weekdays.

The main dining room is a cozy space, if a bit dim from gauzy curtains.  The buffet is divided so that there are two stations as follows (or at least what I can recall):

• Station 1: vegetarian entrees
  • Fritters
  • Spinach
  • Etc
  • Basmati rice
  • Naan
  • Gulab jamun

• Station 2: meat entrees
  • Goat curry
  • Chicken tikka masala
  • Tandoori chicken
  • “Chicken 65”
  • Etc
  • Chutneys
  • Raita
  • Kheer
  • Biryani

The service may not have been fawning-over-you-friendly, but it was certainly efficient and polite.  The food bins at the buffet stations remained constantly full, and everything seemed fresh.  I tried a little of everything and was generally happy except for a few very spicy veggie entrees.  The chicken tikka masala with its rich tomato taste and the tandoori chicken were standouts.

The rice pudding [kheer] was a pleasant surprise.  Usually I am not hugely into rice pudding, but it had a pleasing almond taste, and I found myself having a second serving.  The gulab jamun was too syrupy for me, but it’s tops in the books of two others in my party.

For Indian buffets, definitely try out Cafe Bombay.

Restaurant experiment: Tamarind

Tamarind

41-43 East 22nd Street between Park Avenue South and Broadway

New York, NY 10010

212-674-7400

http://www.tamarinde22.com

My dad had complied a shortlist of three Indian places to try, and I chose Tamarind as the winner after meticulous investigations.  I made a reservation, and even though it was for an early time, it was very wise to do so, as this dining destination filled up fast.  Our party of four were seated in a semiprivate raised booth off to the side in the main/back dining room.  I should add that on your way to the back, you pass a glass-walled room where you can observe chefs making tasty treats.  Very beautiful decor all around.

Dave and I shared a half order ($13) of the tandoor chicken; the mother parental also ordered this.  The bird is one of the bargains on the menu, since it’s actually a fair-sized portion and could be your whole entree.  The chicken wasn’t too dry and was not insipid, hooray.  We also elected to get the special lamb chop.  While this chop was oozing with spices, they were too killer for my weak tastebuds.  As my lips sizzled, I admitted defeat.  This made me think of two things.

1. When I called Tamarind to bump up my reservation time, the hold music was actually a little spiel telling me that the food was adapted to the American palate.  Food so spicy I have to give up on it doesn’t seem very dumbed down to me.
2. That Simpsons episode where Apu cooks for the Simpsons, and the grub is so intense that Lisa remarks that she can see through time.  That was me.

Okay, Dave handled it fine.  I’m just weak and prone to exaggeration.

To accompany the meal, all of us consumed spoonfuls of plain basmati rice (there were other dressier options to select; this one was $5.25) and nan ($4.25).  And for some veggies to satisfy the food pyramid, a round of saag paneer ($16.25).  Luckily the saag did not burn my tongue off.  Gotta love the paneer chunks.

Naturally, I had to eat dessert despite gobbling down entrees prior.  My mother favored her gulab jamun, and I praised my kulfi (traditional Indian ice cream, $5.50).  Pretty sweets: pretty sweet.

I even consumed part of Dave’s chocolate mousse cake, which while not very Indian, was rich and topped with a cute chocolate cigar, or cigarette, as I called it.  Too thin to be a cigar.

Tamarind is not for penurious Indian cuisine enthusiasts since the entrees are in the $20 range, and there is no free rice.  We all elected for no appetizers, though we did get complimentary pre-meal snacks.  I admit that I did not see the final check, nor did I really want to.  Even though Curry Hill is a few blocks away, when you want an attractive setting and want to empty your wallet while consuming fare from the Northern part of India, Tamarind fits the bill.

Restaurant experiment: Cafe Spice

Cafe Spice

72 University Place between 10th and 11th Streets

New York, NY 10002

212-253-6999

http://cafespice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=70

The four of us ended up at Cafe Spice unintentionally.  It lucked out because it was in the right place at the right time.  After a trip to the Rubin Museum, we ended up wandering around, trying to find a place to have dinner.  Kora suggested Indian, and it didn’t help that the Yelp app was down, boo.  Intending the East Village as our destination, we passed by Cafe Spice and being tired, we settled on it because it was Indian and there.  That was good enough for us.

Cafe Spice sort of looks like a museum.  One wall had large, backlit images of spices.  Another wall contained glass containers.  Walls were painted colorfully.  The kitchen had a wide window, and I could observe toque-wearing chefs working their magic.  The tagline for Cafe Spice is “An Indian Bistro” which sorta means more Americanized and slightly more upscale.  The specialty cocktail menu was extensive, and there were a lot of non-Asian servers.  Someone likened this place to Spice, the Thai restaurant chain.  If you’ve been to Spice, than just picture Cafe Spice as the Indian version.

I ordered the murg tikka labadar ($16) because it was “chicken tikkas braised in a creamy tomato sauce.”  All entrees came with rice, salad, and dal.  The dal that came with this particular dish was called dal tadka.  I also put in my request for my requisite mango lassi.  Theirs was ultra thick and creamy.  Mmm!  Done right!  Regarding the menu, it’s pretty extensive, as most Indian menus are, so you should be able to find something.  There are even family-style options (hello, Olive Garden) but we nixed those as three omnivores outnumbered one herbivore.  Even some prix fixe-ish selections, called thali which seemed to be good deals for $25.

A complimentary plate of rolled up papadams emerged.  None of us had ever seen them rolled up like that, like little cigars or eggrolls.  Neato mosquito.  And as a bonus for myself, the rolls were not excessively peppery.  Hooray.

The mains soon appeared for everyone.

I tried the dal first.  It was kind of like eating a Guatemalan insanity pepper: so freakin’ spicy.  I quickly gave up after a few spoonfuls.  There were a few flakes of cilantro, bah, in the murg but I could at least deal with a small quantity.  The real issue here was how hot the dish was.  I guess Cafe Spice is living up to its name for sure.  Kora helpfully gave me some yogurt to dump into the murg to soothe the savage spice.  That did help, plus it gave the chicken a smashing extra creaminess.  Mmm, tender bird.  The salad was spicy in that there were copious amounts of raw onions tossed in there.  I found solace in the rice; at least the rice wasn’t spicy.  I also attempted the dal again later in case my mouth had been rendered tolerant, but alas no, I had to give up quickly again.

If you want your taste buds blown out, Cafe Spice is the place to be!  Aside from causing me grief, the  food was good and luckily we didn’t have to wait for a table either, being a Friday night.  Next time, I’ll have to request super mild mild, fit for newborn babies.

Restaurant experiment: Curry Leaf

Curry Leaf

99 Lexington Avenue at 27th Street

New York, NY 10016

212-725-5558

http://www.curryleafnyc.com

Leslie and I met up for a weekday lunch.  I suggested Saravanaas but the line was flowing out the door, so we nixed that and wandered up Lex, ending up at Curry Leaf which was less crowded.

We both ordered the lunch prix fixe and picked out the tandoori platter: “chicken tikka, tandoori chicken, seek kabob & one vegetable curry” along with basmati rice, naan, salad, and rice pudding.  A fair deal for $9.95, considering that neither of us were able to finish everything.  Hello, dinner.

The salad was just iceberg with an oily dressing.  The naan was terrific, warm, airy, soft, and fresh.  The rice was good.  But I think not all of the items listed on the menu were included, and maybe they ran out because it just looked like tandoori chicken only.  Which is okay because I like it, but that was odd.  It was a teensy bit dry but still really delightful.  My veggie of choice was  saag paneer, “cottage cheese & spinach cooked in butter flavored tomato gravy.”  I’ve had saag paneer a couple of times and wasn’t expecting spicy.  Leslie and I are spice wimps and didn’t desire to have our taste buds lasered off, so I was surprised that the saag was a little spicy though it was certainly manageable.

The rice pudding wasn’t on the menu so it was  pleasant surprise and saved me from ordering a mango lassi.  It was slightly chilled, not too ricey, with strong coconut flavors and a smidge of sliced almonds.  I don’t even like rice pudding all that much, and I enjoyed this.

Bad: I saw a mammoth fly hanging out above a painting on the wall.  Ew.  Still, the food’s better than Banana Leaf.

Restaurant experiment: Andaz

Andaz

1378 First Avenue between 73rd and 74th Streets

New York, NY 10021

212-288-0288

First Avenue was a mess, post-street fair.  The sweepers were sweeping.  Andaz tried to seat us closer to the door, but Kora insisted on a different table, and they obliged.  I did make a reservation after all so I was a VIP (no, wishful thinking).

When I ordered, I declared my drink (mango lassi) first, but the waiter quickly asked what I wanted as my main course.  That was odd.  Like he had to approve what I was going to eat as my entree before he would allow the mango lassi.  Um, okay.  Kora and I shared some samosas before our mains, and we both liked those a lot. 

Usually I go back to the website to review my menu selections, but Andaz does not have a website!  That does not help me.  Now I’m embarrassed because I forgot what I ordered.  I want to say lamb korma.  Maybe I should start whipping out a miniature spiral bound notebook or voice recorder and make notes that way.  Then the staff can notice, think I’m a bigwig food critic, and comp my meal.  That’d be awesome.  It would have been better if the food were a little hotter, temperature-wise, but it wasn’t a major issue.  The lamb was tender and went well with the rice and the naan we requested. 

Later, the guy who I assumed was a manager of some sort, approached us and asked what we thought of the food and if we would come back. I explained that I didn’t live in the neighborhood (plus I don’t like eating at the same place twice), but I would certainly recommend Andaz to my pals who live and work in the region.  I did follow-up on my promise, and I passed a menu along.  The servers were almost too caring.

Andaz: a welcome addition to the soul-sucking Upper East Side.