Indian Food - Don't Judge Me

I consider myself someone who really enjoys a great meal, but I am not necessarily someone who is too terribly adventurous when it comes to ethnic foods. I do like most ethnic foods, its just that I am more apt to stay with the posted menu and not worry about any "secret" menus. This said, I rarely eat Indian food - it has probably been 2-3 years since I have. Last night we ordered from India House (I know there was a negative post this week) and loved it. I liked it more than I ever remember liking Indian food in the past. We had Lamb Chili Masala and chicken Samosas and Roti bread.
Can anyone make suggestions on other great Indian dishes and other resaurants to try not too far from downtown. I live on the Near West Side and I don't really want to travel far, so Devon is out.
Thanks for your help.

We recently had a really solid meal at Klay Oven (414 N Orleans) -- not drop dead Hema's Kitchen on a good night transcendent, but truly solid. As I recall the pakoras were excellent, the samosas quite flakey and the rest of the meal (mater paneer, a spinach and potato dish and a cauliflower dish) were down the middle good. The menu is the standard masala/curry/tandori shuffle. You likely can get a more intensely authentic, personality infused meal on Devon but this place seems to achieve its purpose -- straight (as we think of it) Indian food prepared well with good ingredients

And there is the Hema's Kitchen (2411 Clark) in Lakeview. I haven't been but reports I've read have been lackluster. Of course, my experiences at the original Hema's have failed to live up to the hype, so maybe I'm just Hema deficient.

Raj Darbar (2611 Halsted) has been better in my experience than most of the other non-Devon, non-Suburb Indian joints. The room is a bit more pleasant as well. Not a ton of individual character to the food and no focus on a particular region, but it does provide India's "greatest hits" with better quality than India House.

If you're feeling particularly adventurous - in the grimey environs and unflattering fluourescent lights sort of way - and OK with mingling your Pakistani and Indian foodstuffs, there are the cabbie joints on Orleans around Chicago. Zaiqa (sp?) is the only name that currently comes to mind. For me, trips to these places are as much about phenomenology as food - the glare of the environment, the language barrier, the smoke filled rooms, the chatter of sounds (unintelligible to me), the post-meal bloat ... a few moments through the looking glass. The food though inconsistent is often pretty good and always dirt cheap. It's almost as if you pay a very low price for a glimpse into a different world - some sort of autonomous zone within city limits - and get food for free.

rien

edk wrote:We recently had a really solid meal at Klay Oven (414 N Orleans) --

i would not recommend Klay Oven b/c of the prices. the food is good enough, but when we went, i believe we had to pay to have rice on the side, and the servings were still too small. i mean come on people, it's just rice. why skimp? the rest wasn't too bad though but again, yo ucan find excellent indian food in this city...so why settle?

AttentionWhore wrote:...i believe we had to pay to have rice on the side...

In my experience, most Indian restaurants charge for an order of rice, plain basmati or otherwise adorned. I think there might be a couple out there that throw it in gratis, but of the last three that I have been to, all three have charged for a dish of basmati rice.

Best,
EC

Yes, I've always had to pay for rice too.

I like the buffet at Gaylord (678 N Clark).

rien wrote: For me, trips to these places are as much about phenomenology as food - the glare of the environment, the language barrier, the smoke filled rooms, the chatter of sounds (unintelligible to me), the post-meal bloat ... a few moments through the looking glass. The food though inconsistent is often pretty good and always dirt cheap. It's almost as if you pay a very low price for a glimpse into a different world - some sort of autonomous zone within city limits - and get food for free.

rien

"diner" as T.A.Z.
does Hakim Bey have any clue?

HI,

A friend of mine was in London over the summer. Her family requested an extra bowl of rice in a Chinese restaurant, which they were charged $4-$5.

In Chinese restaurants here you will occasionally charge for extra rice: typical charges small bowl is 50 cents and large bowl is $2.

At the Indian Style Chinese restaurant, they included rice with the main dishes and charged for any extra. Just last night, I paid for an extra bowl of rice in a Korean restaurant when I shared an entree.

Rice does cost money, I consider it fortunate when I don't have to pay. Gee when was the last time you had free mashed potatoes?

rien wrote:And there is the Hema's Kitchen (2411 Clark) in Lakeview. I haven't been but reports I've read have been lackluster. Of course, my experiences at the original Hema's have failed to live up to the hype, so maybe I'm just Hema deficient.

I've never much cared for Hema's on devon, and can't believe the lakeview option would be much better

rien wrote:and OK with mingling your Pakistani and Indian foodstuffs, there are the cabbie joints on Orleans around Chicago.

Wouldn't be that much mingling - all these spots are Pakistani, though there is quite a bit of carryover food wise, especially with the the food of Punjab

rien wrote: Zaiqa (sp?) is the only name that currently comes to mind.

you can search as well here and on CH for kababish, pakiza, as well as baba's palace (also baba's place its former name),

I tend to like baba's a little more, but the hand made chapati at kababish do make me feel good.

rien wrote:For me, trips to these places are as much about phenomenology as food - the glare of the environment, the language barrier, the smoke filled rooms, the chatter of sounds (unintelligible to me), the post-meal bloat ... a few moments through the looking glass. The food though inconsistent is often pretty good and always dirt cheap. It's almost as if you pay a very low price for a glimpse into a different world - some sort of autonomous zone within city limits - and get food for free.

rien

for me it, its' not phenomenology, it's the food. I find the food at most of the "cabbie joints" homier, truer, and better than the majority of subcontinental spots around town, definitely better than the higher priced ones in the city away from devon

imho...and given the whole paying for rice issue....i believe indian food should only be experienced on sunday afternoons at the all you can eat buffets. load up on rice...spinach.....and all the butter chicken and tandoori that you want. chicken korma if you can find it buffet style is also usually excllent (i believe it's based on an almond sauce..very intersting w/a hint of sweetness). but buffet is the way to go so you can really gorge yourself. also in my younger days...my brother and i used to ..um...puff the magic dragon....and really go pig out and have a good time there....