Mt. Everest slides down the mountain

Mt. Everest was once a good option for interesting dishes in Evanston. They serve a mixed menu of Indian and Nepalese cooking. The Indian fare was always very standard (tandoori dishes, masalas, samosas) but the Nepalese sections of the menu brought some interesting flare to Evanston for me. I recommended Mt. Everest in this post http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=815

Last night we stopped in for a few dishes that were decidedly medicore. I hadn't been in there in at least two years, and the first thing I noticed was that the menu seemed more sparse than I remembered. We started with chicken momos, a nepalese dumpling. I've enjoyed momos at Mt.Ev years ago, and at other Nepalese places in other cities. These momos were not what I expected at all. They were akin to a large, flavorless chinese dumpling. I expected small pockets of very flavorful meat in a much thinner dough.

Unremarkable entrees included a simple Boti Kebab Masala for our meat portion and Nepalese Bhuteko Cauli (cauliflower sauteed in tomato and other Nepalese spices) for our veggie, accompanied by rice and a very un-roti roti. The lamb was tough, but edible, in a flat masala. The cauliflower tasted ok, but nothing I'd order again.

We left full, a didn't spend too much thanks to the WBEZ member card, but I didn't experience the flavors I remembered from my previous visits, either they've slid down the mountain or my palette has climbed higher.

They're moving a few doors west very soon, and there seems to be a new Indian place opening on the same block. There's also a brand new sushi joint with a fast-food vibe on the corner.

Mt. Everest is currently at 618 Church St. in Evanston, (847) 491-1069

http://www.mteverestrestaurant.com/

I'd love to hear of any other recent experences there.

Best,
EC

An odd coincidence. I had superb Nepalese food last night, though I write from the shores of Bass Lake (sometimes called East Bass Lake so as not to confuse it with the other Bass Lake in Forsyth Township--a little like "Little" Three Happiness, no?) outside of Gwinn, Michigan.

Somehow (well, I could tell you how but it would make this diversion even longer) three young women from Nepal have all separately made their way to Northern Michigan University. Two of them live with my mother.

Benusha (getting a master's in conservation) turned 24 yesterday (actually October 1 on our calendar, Monday on the Nepalese calendar) and the call went out for a Nepalese dinner. There had been an international students day up 100 miles further north in Houghton the week before, and it turns out that Michigan Tech has 200 Indian students (in contrast to Northern's one) and thus a supplier of Indian groceries. The newest Nepalese student had also brought her pressure cooker in her carry-on luggage when she came here in August, having been told that she could not make Nepalese food in the U.S. without it. Pradip, a Sri Lankan film major who also lives with my mother, and who had learned to cook Nepalese over the last year from Benusha, joined her in the kitchen.

I can't tell you the name of any of the dishes, but they included perfect rice studded with bay leaves, whole cardamon pods, cashews, and garlic; a spicy tomato dish made with fresh tomatoes, onion, and more garlic; several potato dishes, including a great one with chard, and a chicken in another tomato-based sauce. My mother made the cake, chocolate, with Happy Birthday Benusha in English and Nepali written on top.

The other guests included the one Indian student, two Japanese students (one majoring in furniture design), one Chinese, and two American students, one of whom is trying to learn Nepali and wants to someday be a foreigh correspondent. The conversation turned to how living in the U.S. compared to what they had expected. After some joking about gold in the streets and "Robo-Cop," the discussion turned serious. Everyone agreed that was they expected, and feared, was that everyone in the U.S. would be rushing around all the time, busy, busy, with no time for anything but work. Benusha said "but instead, I have all these friends who are almost like...." and someone interrupted with "family" and Benusha started crying. And just then her uncle called and she took the phone off into the next room and when she came back she was smiling and the table was cleared and it was time for them to all go to the video store and pick out a movie.

Someone here has said, far more eloquently than I, what wonderful magic can happen when you are seated around a table, sharing a meal with friends and strangers. Last night was one of those nights. I think the food was some of the best I've ever eaten--but that won't be what I remember about the evening.