Indian on Devon for Carnivores?

From perusing other posts I can see many recommendations for vegetarian restaurants and sweets, but what about something savory for a lamb lover?

For tonight I am debating between Viceroy of India, Tiffin, or should I just go vegetarian and go to Mysore Woodland - OR - change location and go to Essence of India in Lincoln Square?

Many places on Devon serve excellent kebabs. One of my Indian friends used to take me to Delhi Darbar, which is on Sacramento, North of Devon. The kebab there was delicious. Truely memorable. Unfortunately, on the few times when I have ventured back there by myself, I had trouble figuring out what to order. The restaurant doesn't really cater to non-Indians/Pakistanis, although the men there are nice enough.

From personal experience, I'd rate Viceroy WAY above Essence of India. But you also might want to consider the original Hema's Kitchen, about a block north of Devon on Oakley, or Bhabi's Kitchen, on the same street south of Devon.

Tiffin is still my favorite place on Devon. Hema's is decent (certainly a great value) but lacking in atmosphere, the biggest problem is that you will leave with your clothes smelling like Indian food. I have enjoyed Viceroy, but I do not even agree that it is better than Essence of India in Lincoln Square, which I find to be consistently strong (albeit a tad pricier) and perhaps a bit more consistent than Viceroy.

If you really want a carnivorous feast on Devon, hit up Khan's BBQ. Check previous threads for drool-inducing pics.

I would highly recommend that you try Indian Grill, on Clark near Webster. That's nearby your Old Town location. My initial visit was prompted by the outstanding reader reviews posted on Metromix, and I was not disappointed. I've eaten at many Indian restaurants on Devon, in my neighborhood, and even in other cities (NY, London, Singapore). Hubby and I found the food super delicious, the service was nice and good, and the restaurant was clean. Meat and veggie dishes available. We went for the lunch buffet. It opened this year.

Thanks so much, I chose Tiffin that night. We ate with another couple who we haven't seen since the four of us ate at Pluton. I am looking forward to Jacky Pluton finding a new space back in the city. I guess I should try Narra in Evanston in the Orrington Hotel.

We thoroughly enjoyed Tiffin. I did use my waiter to steer me to the more popular entrees. I will be back up to Devon for something possibly more exotic next time. For a first time up to Devon the valet parking at Tiffin a nice touch.

Thanks so much, I chose Tiffin that night. We ate with another couple who we haven't seen since the four of us ate at Pluton. I am looking forward to Jacky Pluton finding a new space back in the city. I guess I should try Narra in Evanston in the Orrington Hotel.

If youre near the Evanston area, a decent option might be "Everest", right around
the corner from the Orrington. A fair few meat items, and the added bonus of a
few examples of Nepali cuisine.

The above (and Tiffin etc) if youre looking for atmosphere to go with your food,
that is. If youre not, if youre looknig for just great meaty food with absolutely
no atmosphere.... there are several great options on Devon. Sabri Nehari is
probably closest to what youre looking for (good meat, at least passable
atmosphere). Usmaniya (east of Western) is IMHO better with meat and
food, but not as good atmospherically and service-wise as Sabri Nehari.
Khan's has the best kababs on Devon (but is awful on the atmosphere
front). Another option is JK Kabab House on Rockwell just off Devon -
better atmosphere than Khan's IMHO, and good solid meaty options (though
their kababs are probably not as good as Khan's). And Chopal Kabab
House, another good place for meat and fair atmosphere (and the most
amazingly garish dining area on Devon, almost worth going for that alone) -
Chopal is east of Western as well by a couple of blocks (and has
reputedly the best lamb chops on Devon, for lamb-lovers).

c8w

c8w wrote:If youre near the Evanston area, a decent option might be "Everest", right around the corner from the Orrington. A fair few meat items, and the added bonus of a few examples of Nepali cuisine.

I like this place, but for claification, it's name is Mt. Everest. "Everest" is some joint downtown with a chef with a funny name - Joho.

I would second c8w's recs and highlight the namesake nehari at sabri, and also note that the meat dishes that stand out at chopal are the goat champs and chili chicken (don't order shrimp, inland Pakistan sin't known for seafood) I really don't care for Hema's and other than one crab dish at tiffin, think it it not as good as a number of places on devon, though with higher prices and little nicer room.

You know I kind of diagree with the assertion that there is more talk of veg and sweet places on devon than meat ones. In general the talk has been centered more around meat - I guess mirorroring the food preferences of this forum (myself included) but really veg stuff has such a prominent place in most indian cuisines that it probably deserves more discussion.

Also really other than ambala there isn't that much discussion of sweet places, especially the sweets tht other places do better than ambala. For example I think both the kalakand and ras malai are better at tahoora, I would welcome other examples of such items (not that I have anything against amabala, but would love to learn other good sweets around)

zim wrote:Also really other than ambala there isn't that much discussion of sweet places, especially the sweets tht other places do better than ambala. For example I think both the kalakand and ras malai are better at tahoora, I would welcome other examples of such items (not that I have anything against amabala, but would love to learn other good sweets around)

Zim, I tried the ras malai and gulab jamuns (didn't remember there about the kalakand) at Tahoora . I can't compare them to the Amabala ones since I haven't tried those. However, the Tahoora rasmalai were, at least this evening, less than good in my book. The gulab jamuns were alright if a little dense and cold which didn't help.
Rasmalai (for those who may be wondering) is essentially a rasgulla or rossogolla* that is served in malai (cream or rather thickened sweetened milk). I found the malai a little odd tasting and the flattened rasgulla in it soft and syrupy, decent texture, but otherwise sort of tasteless. To be fair (but not digressing with detail), I may have a different cultural perspective on how these should taste. Also I will admit to being possibly exceedingly critical on the matter of rossogolla - a reason why I have shied from even trying the ones at Ambala**.


*rasgulla (Hindi); rossogolla (Bengali) - [ras = syrup; gulla = ball] is a ball of fresh cheese (queso fresco or ricotta) sweetened and boiled in a thin syrup to produce a soft spongy ball and then kept (and served) in another syrup. This is a specialty of Bengal and available and/or famous throughout India.

**It did cross my mind a while back to try a rassogolla taste-off between Ambala, Sonargaon (since closed), and other places. I think I would rather not.

sazerac,

I'm not sure if I could say the ras malai had a bad night, as in my experience they've always been pretty consistent. However you may be right in having different expectations of them (I have no bengali ties and that may influence my thinking - bengalis, btw, are noted sweetmakers). I would be interested if you have found any around town whether in a restaurant or sweet shop that are to your liking