Which Indian restaurant on Devon would you choose if...

...your wife doesn't like spicy food, likes "nice" restaurants, and is a clean freak?

No disrespect at all intended for restaurants that don't meet the criteria. But any quick suggestions (we're leaving in about forty five minutes) will be appreciated. Thanks.

For these reasons, we often wind up at Tiffin when taking family to Devon. There are a number of dishes you can get without heavy spice, the space is nice, if lit oddly, and the food is OK. There are a lot of places that are better, but I think it will meet your criteria.

Tiffin, definitey.

Thanks, guys.

Tiffin fo sho.

If you're downtown, India House would meet the requirements.

Not to be redundant, but definitely Tiffin.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Tiffin. That's where I'd take her.

Tiffin's where we went--and it filled the bill on all counts. The missus had tandoori chicken, I had tandoori lamb, and both were very tasty. Also got a creamed spinach with cubes of cottage cheese in it that we really liked. So thanks again.

I like Tiffin, too but I find it to be variable. When it's on, it's exemplary. When it's not, it's not very satisfying. Glad to know that it has so many fans and also happy to hear that you had a good experience there, riddlemay.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I like Tiffin, too but I find it to be variable. When it's on, it's exemplary. When it's not, it's not very satisfying. Glad to know that it has so many fans and also happy to hear that you had a good experience there, riddlemay.

I'm not sure you can chalk me up as a fan. I simply think it fits the bill as clean, "nice", and easily satisfies the spice-averse.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:I like Tiffin, too but I find it to be variable. When it's on, it's exemplary. When it's not, it's not very satisfying. Glad to know that it has so many fans and also happy to hear that you had a good experience there, riddlemay.

I'm not sure you can chalk me up as a fan. I simply think it fits the bill as clean, "nice", and easily satisfies the spice-averse.

Best,
Michael

By no means can I compare Tiffin to any other Indian place on Devon, because even though I've been to a couple others, that was years ago and the ones I went to aren't there anymore! So on a relative scale, I can't judge it at all. But on an absolute scale--was the food flavorful or not--for us, the virtues of Tiffin went beyond clean, nice and spice-averse-friendly. We found everything we ate to have vivid flavor without hotness. (OK, the mulligatawny soup was lifeless, but everything else made a good account of itself in the flavors that emerged assertively from the main ingredients, the not-hot spices and herbs that were used, and the cooking.)

eatchicago wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:I like Tiffin, too but I find it to be variable. When it's on, it's exemplary. When it's not, it's not very satisfying. Glad to know that it has so many fans and also happy to hear that you had a good experience there, riddlemay.

I'm not sure you can chalk me up as a fan. I simply think it fits the bill as clean, "nice", and easily satisfies the spice-averse.

Best,
Michael

I'm sure we can fill this end of the thread up with "ditto," as well. I did have one exemplary meal there about nine or ten years ago, everything else I've had has been variable, like Ronnie said (never spectacular, though.) However, it doesn't offend the dive-averse, the spice-averse, or the guts-averse - and sometimes I have to eat with those people.

riddlemay wrote:Also got a creamed spinach with cubes of cottage cheese in it that we really liked. So thanks again.

Ah, "pearls in jade". The one time we ventured into Tiffin, we spotted that on the menu and decided this was not the dinner we were looking for.

I can definitely see that Tiffin fills an important niche on Devon, though. It's the sort of place I could take my mother to - and she thinks bruschetta is just crazy.

eatchicago wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:I like Tiffin, too but I find it to be variable. When it's on, it's exemplary. When it's not, it's not very satisfying. Glad to know that it has so many fans and also happy to hear that you had a good experience there, riddlemay.

I'm not sure you can chalk me up as a fan. I simply think it fits the bill as clean, "nice", and easily satisfies the spice-averse.

Best,
Michael

LOL! I would say you are definitely not a fan.

=R=

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:I can definitely see that Tiffin fills an important niche on Devon, though. It's the sort of place I could take my mother to - and she thinks bruschetta is just crazy.

Well, I guess we've established what demographic I belong to!

(Although I think bruschetta is perfectly reasonable.)

riddlemay wrote:
Also got a creamed spinach with cubes of cottage cheese in it that we really liked. So thanks again.

Ah, "pearls in jade". The one time we ventured into Tiffin, we spotted that on the menu and decided this was not the dinner we were looking for.

Sounds like palak-paneer - many Indian vegetarians love this dish (its not quite cottage-cheese, slightly different Indian cheese called "paneer", which is what it should have been).

Tiffin is ok IMHO - Iam not a huge fan, but have eaten there before. It can sometimes be pretty high on spice level too from what Ive heard (supposedly if you ask for the rogan josh spicy.. an Indian friend claims he got one of the hottest dishes he's ever been served on Devon by doing that

If youre looking for "clean, non-divey".. wouldnt a place like Usmaniya now fit that bill too? I know its predominantly Pakistani food rather than Indian (or Indian-muslim-food maybe).. but its now quite non-divey and quite clean, and their goat entrees IMHO remain amongst the very best in Chicago (as does their goat biryani). And while my spice tolerance is admittedly on the high side, Ive never found any of their food particularly hot at all (most Pakistani food isnt IMHO).

c8w

c8w wrote: and their goat entrees IMHO remain amongst the very best in Chicago (as does their goat biryani). c8w

Though I love goat, I don't know that this is a selling point for people like my parents. However, it would be good to have an alternate, and I tend to prefer Pakistani food for many of the reasons you mention.

I'm glad you mentioned the spice levels - I'm particularly sensitive to heat in Indian cuisine, and the last time I ate at Tiffin I found it to be too spicy - other times, I found it not spicy at all. It's interesting that it's so variable.

Though I love goat, I don't know that this is a selling point for people like my parents.

Heh. True. Just tell them its lamb If often is, at most restaurants.. I just greatly prefer goat myself, which is probably why I like Usmaniya a fair bit (zim, OTOH, prefers lamb - which explains why he isnt a big Usmaniya partisan

I'm glad you mentioned the spice levels - I'm particularly sensitive to heat in Indian cuisine, and the last time I ate at Tiffin I found it to be too spicy - other times, I found it not spicy at all. It's interesting that it's so variable.

Actually, maybe I ought to withdraw my comment - riddle probably ought not to take my word on spice levels (since I like a lot of heat, and am consequently a poor judge in this regard). But in general I find Pakistani food not particularly hot, even at places like Khan's et al. (My current fave place is Malabar Catering in Glenview - now some of their dishes can be properly hot, as they dont tamp down the heat at all).

At Tiffin, I guess (as at most places) it sort of depends on the dish itself - some are meant to be hot, others not so much. In general places like Tiffin and India House bland-down their dishes significantly IMHO.. but on occasion, if you ask for it spicy, you can get it with a bit of a kick (or so my friend claimed about that one dish anyway). But in general some Andhra/Goa/Kerala style dishes are supposed to be quite hot, and the odd such dish may retain some heat even at Tiffin and India House. (Most, however, dont.. I remember vividly one of my friends lasting disappointments once - we went to India House, and he was very excited to see "Goan Fish Curry" on the menu.. and was crushed to find, when it arrived, that it was completely lacking in heat, really quite bland - since authentic Goan Fish Curry which he loves is supposed to be quite fiery hot).

If you stick to most of the entrees at Tiffin, you should be quite ok in terms of heat Id guess.. things like butter-chicken etc (Northern Indian dishes) are supposed to be more creamy and rich than hot anyway IMHO, as are quite a few of the "tikka masala" type dishes.

c8w

c8w wrote:

Though I love goat, I don't know that this is a selling point for people like my parents.

Heh. True. Just tell them its lamb If often is, at most restaurants.. I just greatly prefer goat myself, which is probably why I like Usmaniya a fair bit (zim, OTOH, prefers lamb - which explains why he isnt a big Usmaniya partisan

I'm glad you mentioned the spice levels - I'm particularly sensitive to heat in Indian cuisine, and the last time I ate at Tiffin I found it to be too spicy - other times, I found it not spicy at all. It's interesting that it's so variable.

Actually, maybe I ought to withdraw my comment - riddle probably ought not to take my word on spice levels (since I like a lot of heat, and am consequently a poor judge in this regard). But in general I find Pakistani food not particularly hot, even at places like Khan's et al. (My current fave place is Malabar Catering in Glenview - now some of their dishes can be properly hot, as they dont tamp down the heat at all).

At Tiffin, I guess (as at most places) it sort of depends on the dish itself - some are meant to be hot, others not so much. In general places like Tiffin and India House bland-down their dishes significantly IMHO.. but on occasion, if you ask for it spicy, you can get it with a bit of a kick (or so my friend claimed about that one dish anyway). But in general some Andhra/Goa/Kerala style dishes are supposed to be quite hot, and the odd such dish may retain some heat even at Tiffin and India House. (Most, however, dont.. I remember vividly one of my friends lasting disappointments once - we went to India House, and he was very excited to see "Goan Fish Curry" on the menu.. and was crushed to find, when it arrived, that it was completely lacking in heat, really quite bland - since authentic Goan Fish Curry which he loves is supposed to be quite fiery hot).

If you stick to most of the entrees at Tiffin, you should be quite ok in terms of heat Id guess.. things like butter-chicken etc (Northern Indian dishes) are supposed to be more creamy and rich than hot anyway IMHO, as are quite a few of the "tikka masala" type dishes.

c8w

The variability in my experiences at Tiffin has been with the same dishes over multiple visits. Still, it pleases more often than it disappoints, so I count it as a place I like.

=R=

c8w wrote:Sounds like palak-paneer - many Indian vegetarians love this dish (its not quite cottage-cheese, slightly different Indian cheese called "paneer", which is what it should have been).

It probably was that. The Tiffin menu describes it as cottage cheese, but that is probably because they figure most of the non-Indian customers will understand that better than a word they've never encountered. The cubes certainly tasted more interesting than any cottage cheese I've ever had. Since the dish was new to me, I didn't know how else to describe it than to go by what the menu description said, but from what you say (and from what I tasted), I now think this menu description was more "dumbed-down" than the actual dish they served.

Mhays wrote:Though I love goat, I don't know that this is a selling point for people like my parents.

Your mom, who cooks tongue and pig's feet, is afraid of goat?