indian recs

i'm sure this has been discussed here ad nauseum, so my apologies in advance for asking again. i'd do a search, but i'm afraid i'd get overwhelmed, so i'm asking for a couple quick suggestions.

looking for a good spot on Devon to take my wife for her birthday, but here's the rub: i'm not much of an adventurous eater and i've never had indian food. i'm completely clueless about Indian cuisine. that said, i lurk here often and very much appreciate the generous knowledge, thoughtful opinions. the humor and the excellent writing. i need some help.

i'd like to take my wife to good/great spot (i realize there are many, many, may) to celebrate her birthday. we'd like to be on Devon. she's much more open and adventurous an eater than i, has eaten countless indian times, so she's cool with whatever, and i don't want to limit the choice due to my restricted palate. that said, she'd like this to be my call (odd as that may seem).

we've discussed this a bit. i'd probably end up getting a tandoori chicken. something middle of the road. of course, she'd like for me to try a couple things, and has suggested many indian restaurants offer menu items that have sample platters of a few different items? is this common?

suggestions for menu items for a meat and potatoes guy at an indian place are also welcomed.

any thoughts you can offer to help me to narrow it down to a couple spots would be great. i'm in the wilderness on this one. but it could also be an opportunity for me to experience something new and wonderful. maybe.
at very least, show my wife a good time.

price point is probably in the $60 - $80 dollar range. give or take. but this could be adjusted upwards if need be.

thank you, in advance, LTH!
the whitesnake

I like Viceroy for this kind of introductory meal. Tiffin has usurped their spot as "fanciest" north Indian joint, but I still prefer the food at Viceroy.

I'd suggest:

Saag (spinach) lamb
Muttar paneer (peas and cheese)
Chicken korma
Raita, maybe two of 'em
a couple of naan

Think about giving the tandoori chicken a rest this time.

This is plenty of food for two and will probably get you to $45 without tip, taxes, etc. If you want a dessert that's not Indian super-sweet, get the kulfi, it's a pistachio ice/milk thing and it's really good.

Enjoy,

Alex

I'll suggest Tiffin as a place to go: good food, nice cross-section of clientel (including many people with Indian heritage) and a very nice room. It's a nice place to introduce yourself to Indian food, and to celebrate a special occassion.

My dinner recommendation:

Samosa (appetizer): light pastry filled with nicely-spiced vegetables.
Mulligataway: pureed lentil soup with some chicken, light spices and herbs.
Naan (bread): Tandoor-cooked very think bread, a “must” with your meal.
Mixed grill platter (entrée): Tandoori chicken, seekh kabob, chicken tikka, boti kabob
Basmati rice: nicely scented to accompany any entrée.
Mango ice cream

To the uninitiated Indian restaurant-goer I think the thought of confronting curry is worrysome. My suggestions above aren't curry-focused. There are spices and herbs, and the fragrances emitted by those combinations, but that's some of what helps to make Indian food so special.

I was, for a very long time, a died-in-the-wool Viceroy of India fan. It was THE place for me to go (the Viceroy for the nice meal, to Hema's for the inferno of curry!). However, over the years the place has become worn and not well-attended to by the owners/management and it has, in addition to an obvious reduction in the number of customers, an unclean appearance - so much so I don't eat there any more. The Viceroy's day has come, and gone.

Rather than just eating in an Indian restaurant along Devon, I suggest you add a walk along Devon Ave. after dinner. Why not postpone your dessert so that you can stop at one of the several Pakistani sweet shops after leaving the restaurant. It's an exciting street, especially so on the weekend. Walking from Western to California will be a nice finishing touch to a special event and, I am certain, whet your appetite for a return visit (say, to Afgan Restaurant . . . now, there's adventure!).


Tiffin
2536 West Devon Avenue
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 338-2143

AHava wrote:Saag (spinach) lamb
Muttar paneer (peas and cheese)
Chicken korma
Raita, maybe two of 'em
a couple of naan

This is plenty of food for two...

Yikes, that's a lot of food for two people. Then again, I haven't been to the Viceroy: are their portions small?

Bill's recommendation for a non-curry menu is terrific. I love curry as much as the next guy, but it may not be the best choice for a romantic dinner. Grilled meats are lighter, as well as less likely to spill and stain your clothes. (No, this has never happened to me. Not once. And I'm Indian, too! )

Also, a walk along Devon is a good idea, but a word of caution: if you or your wife wants to stop in one of the fabric/sari stores, be advised that 1) the customer service at these places is almost uniformly terrible and 2) they do negotiate on price and will deliberately inflate their first asking price by 150-300%. Don't be afraid to talk them down.

thanks publicblast,

which of the previous two suggestions would you second?

i appreciate the thoughful tips, Bill and AHava



i'm still taking ideas, as we're not dining until Monday evening. and a walk sounds great. recommendations on a sweet shop?

sincerely.
the whitesnake

Ambala. Rather than go into any detail, take a look at this comprehensive thread. http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3486&highlight=ambala

Based on sazerac's recommendation, we stopped in last weekend. Yum!

One place that might fit the bill for both someone looking for a tandoori platter as well as someone who has more experience with the food and want s to try something different is Sonargaon, the bengali place, almost opposit the street from Bhabi's kitchen, which has been mentioned here a number of times.

i've mentioned in the past that I was pleasantly surprised by their tandoori offerings, especially their seekh kababs, and I am pretty sure they have a mixed grill sort of platter that you requested. In addition they have a number of bengali seafood dishes which your wife may not have had the opportunity to try before, and a very nice and somewhat different very smokey version of the eggplant bhartha (similar to baba ghanouj)

though tiffin is the nicest room on the avenue, other than one crab dish, I have never been all that impressed with the food there, and feel that you pay a little bit extra mainly for their nice room.

I enjoy ambala quite a bit, as I have mentioned in previous threads on the subject, but unless they've added some items recently you're not gonna be able to make a full meal out of it

I'd vote for Sabri Nehari. Their plain tandori stuff's very well done, including the boti and seek kebabs as well as the 1/2 chicken. Their namesake dish, nehari, gives you something exotic but also somewhat safe as it is still just a hunk of beef in gravy (no?). The place is definately a little nicer in decor and service than other places on Da'Bomb.

Search and you will find a few reports on the place.

Rob

whitesnake wrote:which of the previous two suggestions would you second?
...
i'm still taking ideas, as we're not dining until Monday evening. and a walk sounds great. recommendations on a sweet shop?

I recommend Tiffin as a good first time Indian joint. Other places are definitely more "authentic," which is Latin for "there's a good chance you'll get something that may not surprise you in a good way," but Tiffin is good, has great service and a nice atmosphere, and the food is dependably fresh (which you can't say for all restaurants on Devon). As far as menu suggestions go, I'd go with the non-curry one. Curry is not as conducive to "romance" as it could be [and I'm Indian, so trust me on this one!].

As for sweets, go to Ambala, like someone else said. Great place. Just go easy on the sweets: Indian sweets are very rich and very sweet.

publicblast wrote:As for sweets, go to Ambala, like someone else said. Great place. Just go easy on the sweets: Indian sweets are very rich and very sweet.

I agree on this - best sweet shop on Devon.

However, it sort of depends on the restaurant youve chosen. I really dont
think a walk from Western to California is all that cool - too dam far in the heat,
for one

If youre picking Tiffin, then Ambala is very do-able IMHO - a few blocks down
(go with the kaju katri and the ras malai IMHO, and more if you have room -
the jalebis if fresh etc

OTOH, if you pick Zim's Sonargaon... (BTW, Ive only ever been to Sonargaon
for a buffet once IIRC, never made it to dinner.. however, I rec'd it to a
Bengali guy, and he told me it was ordinary and pretty poor in his opinino
for real Bengali food, was especially caustic about the "fish balls" thing
anyway... if you pick Sonargaon, IMHO Ambala is too far. King Sweets is
very close, and has the best falooda in town, which would be a great
dessert for a summer night (I think its open until 10 - last time we got in
there a little after 10 and the "kitchen was closed", so they wouldnt give
us falooda - but the other sweets were still on offer). Or if you want
other sweets, in addition to the falooda... the new and improved Tahoora
is half a block down (towards Western) and across the street. Tahoora also
has pretty good samosas.

Also, to the OP, dont plan on spending 70 bucks - its hard to do on Devon,
ad you'll end up ordering too much if you do You have a better chance
at doing that at Indian spots downtown maybe (Monsoon etc) - though,
actually, its been a year or two sinve Ive been to Tiffin, so I dont know
if theyve raised their prices.

c8w

c8w wrote:OTOH, if you pick Zim's Sonargaon... (BTW, Ive only ever been to Sonargaon
for a buffet once IIRC, never made it to dinner.. however, I rec'd it to a
Bengali guy, and he told me it was ordinary and pretty poor in his opinino
for real Bengali food, was especially caustic about the "fish balls" thing
anyway... c8w

I've had the buffet and the menu at Sonargaon, and l think the menu is MUCH better--the buffet does not really have many of the Bengali food. And while I did not like the buffet that much, I DO like the place. It almost qualifies for Annals of Overlooked given the amount of attention it gets...

I still think that Sabri Nehari has a bit more panache for romance.


Rob

I have eaten in many of the Indian spots on Devon, I like Tiffin the best with Indian Garden as a close runner up. Last time at tiffin, we had tandoori Salmon as part of the dinner, and it was amazing. This coming from someone that does not care too much for fish.

Where there are only two of us, I order the Thali, a tray of small portions of the entrees. I like the veggie on the best but my husband likes the meat. And can anything go better with it then fresh Nann? Yummm, I think we will go there tonight!

thanks for all the thoughtful suggestions! we've settled on Tiffin, with a walk to Ambala afterward.

c8w wrote:BTW, Ive only ever been to Sonargaon
for a buffet once IIRC, never made it to dinner.. however, I rec'd it to a
Bengali guy, and he told me it was ordinary and pretty poor in his opinino
for real Bengali food, was especially caustic about the "fish balls" thing
anyway... c8w

c8w, how did you like Sonargaon? after all you recced it. I am not really so surprised that your bengali friend was critical of it, I am sure I would be very critical of any kashmiri spot that opened (we tend to be most critical of what we know best and is dearest to us). I do think one of the challenges Sonargaon probably faces in the eyes of most bengalis is a lack of in your face mustard oil use (which I imagine would be frowned upon by health code)

whitesnake wrote:thanks for all the thoughtful suggestions! we've settled on Tiffin, with a walk to Ambala afterward.

I am curious, whitesnake, why you decided on Tiffin? I ask because maybe it will lead me to make better recommendations, or at least recommendations more in line with similar requests.

Zim,

Can you elaborate on mustard oil/health code? I had read several years ago that some intrepid researcher had made a connection between mustard oil and heart lesions. A south Indian friend told me that was nonsense, and she uses it in cooking. I had started to use it uncooked, to dress summer tomatoes to go over grilled salmon (tastes great!) but stopped because of confusion.

Is it like dende, which some people won't use at all, but I will use to flavor a traditional northeast Brasilian dish? Is there something about cooked vs. uncooked.

I cooked some very good (and pricey) salmon the other night, and made a nice little dressing of coarse mustard, dill, oil (think gravlax). It was good, but got me to longing for that mustard oil/tomato relish, now that the tomatoes are coming in.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks.
Ann

I was almost tempted to make my triennial visit to Tiffin yesterday, just to confirm that it remains a prime example of Mike G's Law ("If there's a reason to go to a restaurant other than the food, the food's no good.") Tiffin draws a crowd based on upscale decor and niceness relative to everything else on Devon, and unfortunately the food, while better than "no good," is as inoffensively restrained as the decor.

Instead I went to the Devon Indian Garden, which is almost as upscale as Tiffin, for a silly LTH reason-- I had just been to the downtown one (I biked the lakefront and it was the only thing I could think of when I got to Streeterville) last week and I wanted to compare the two. In fact, there's no comparison-- the Streeterville one is MUCH better. A couple of dishes were the same that day (bhindi aka okra and Murg aka Leftover Tandoori Chicken Pieces Curry) and in both cases the downtown version had way more flavor, Indian spices brightness, than the Devon Ave. version (though I will say that the bhindi was cooked mushier downtown and still had some structural integrity on Devon). The same was true across the board-- downtown's buffet offered some really bright tasting little samosas, for instance, where the potato-stuffed crepe things, whatever those are called, and onion pakora were pretty ordinary on Devon. Now, none of this is to say that I had a bad meal at Indian Garden on Devon, but I would say that Devon lived up to the sort of averageness which Devon buffets too often hit, while downtown was noticeably better than that and came closer to the freshness and brightness (to coin a phrase again) of a meal off the menu.

No, I am not going to Schaumburg today to compare that one...

Indian Garden
247 E. Ontario, Chicago
(312) 280-4910

Indian Garden
2546 W Devon Ave Chicago
(773) 338 2929

Zim wrote:I do think one of the challenges Sonargaon probably faces in the eyes of most bengalis is a lack of in your face mustard oil use (which I imagine would be frowned upon by health code)

I'm not sure it's the (lack) of mustard oil keeping Bengalis away. Stepping into Sonargaon and perusing their menu, there aren't any vegetable dishes that are 'Bengali', It is hard then to have any sort of 'Bengali meal'. They do list quite a few 'Bengali' fish dishes (no idea if all are avaliable all the time) and though that is tempting, the fact that they are undoubtedly from much frozen fish being totally off season has tempered my interest.

As for the use of mustard oil, I personally dislike excessive use, since it can get overpowering. I simply use a few drops to teaspoonfuls (depending on total amount of oil used) added to canola oil. However, the mustard oil that I currently possess (nonUS origin) is very strong (open the bottle and smell, it'll make your eyes smart a bit). Depending on the pressing less pungent and strong oil is available and is widely used for cooking (undiluted) in India, predominantly W. Bengal.

I should say though that in Bengali cooking, mustard oil was the medium for the 'masses' - the more 'affluent' would prefer the use of ghee (historically and generally speaking). Today probably most Bengalis do use mustard oil, but by no means exclusively; other oils, 'heart-healthy' or otherwise are widely used.

annieb wrote:Is it like dende, which some people won't use at all, but I will use to flavor a traditional northeast Brasilian dish? Is there something about cooked vs. uncooked.

Dende or palm oil is high in saturated fat, but I don't think that is the issue with mustard oil. There have been issues with the processing and some toxicity stemming from adulteration in the past, but not any direct health hazards from mustard oil itself (that I'm aware of). Unheated mustard oil is very pungent and tends to be not so kind on the stomach (mine). A little bit for dressing salads or jhal muri should be alright, depending on oil.
I am curious where your oil was obtained. On Devon? I hope it didn't look like this.

Getting back to Sonargaon, based on this thread I am a little tempted to try the fare. It is the monsoons (not in Chicago, of course), and the season for Hilsa. The Hilsa at sonargaon is undoubtedly frozen, and so I've resisted (though, in their defense and to be fair, I should it is possible to get frozen Hilsa that cooks up well). Also they do list misti doi (which intrigues me) and I wonder how their rossogollas would fare in a taste-off...

zim,

i'm afraid it wasn't a complicated decision. knowing very little about Indian cuisine, i simply took the two recommendations i got here (for Tiffin) and coupled it with some off board suggestions for the same spot, then planned an evening. not much more to it than that.

thanks again for the help.


w-

sazerac wrote:I'm not sure it's the (lack) of mustard oil keeping Bengalis away. Stepping into Sonargaon and perusing their menu, there aren't any vegetable dishes that are 'Bengali', It is hard then to have any sort of 'Bengali meal'. They do list quite a few 'Bengali' fish dishes (no idea if all are avaliable all the time) and though that is tempting, the fact that they are undoubtedly from much frozen fish being totally off season has tempered my interest.

The fresh vs. frozen (or how fresh is fresh fish) has been covered at various times. I'm of the school that believe that when fish is truly, truly fresh, as in the stuff I had in Door County, it is insurmountably better than anything, but I am also of the school that believes that outside coastal areas, fish that fresh is pretty much hard to find, and I am finally of the school that sez that fish frozen well can be better than "fresh" fish. So, that's a long way towards saying that I do not think the frozen-ness of Sonoragon is limiting factor. I've had fish pretty basic, fried, and relatively complex, as ground balls in curry, there, and I have generally been happy with the results.

The owners and staff at Sonorogon are Muslim and their menu also makes several nods for general "Muslim-Indian" cooking (nehari, haleem, etc.). I wonder if that is an issue for non-Muslim Bengali's?

Rob

Vital Information wrote:I am finally of the school that sez that fish frozen well can be better than "fresh" fish. So, that's a long way towards saying that I do not think the frozen-ness of Sonoragon is limiting factor. I've had fish pretty basic, fried, and relatively complex, as ground balls in curry, there, and I have generally been happy with the results.

The owners and staff at Sonorogon are Muslim and their menu also makes several nods for general "Muslim-Indian" cooking (nehari, haleem, etc.). I wonder if that is an issue for non-Muslim Bengali's?

Rob

I don't know about the frozenness of the fish not being an issue. personally I have found it be an issue in the simpler fried preps, where the frozenness does come through, however in the wetter dishes I have not found a problem with the fish.

sazerac, as I've mentioned before I like their bhartha quite a bit and find it a little different than most versions I've had (mainly punjabi) which have substantial tomato (which if you believe most of the older punjabi women I 've met, should be grated) component. Sonargaon's is simpler, more like the good smoky baba ganouj folks are looking for in that semaramis thread, and wondered if this is more a house preference or a regional preference.

I wasn't aware of the class distinction vis-a-vis mustard oil in bengali cuisine, thanks for the info (fwiw, mustard oil is the standard fat in most kashmiri dishes as well)

Vital Information wrote:The fresh vs. frozen (or how fresh is fresh fish) has been covered at various times. <snip>
So, that's a long way towards saying that I do not think the frozen-ness of Sonoragon is limiting factor. I've had fish pretty basic, fried, and relatively complex, as ground balls in curry, there, and I have generally been happy with the results.

Fresh vs. frozen is a big long topic I didn't mean to start on. Neither did I mean to imply that Sonargaon's fare is in any way compromised. I was just suggesting an alternative explanation (and to quell Zim's impression of "in your face mustard oil" use) Bengalis may not frequent Sonargaon (is this last phrase even true? I don't know).
I didn't really elaborate in my earlier post as this may be more appropriate in a more specific thread (maybe this one on Sonargaon; please relocate if necessary).


Bengalis tend to enjoy freshwater (sweetwater) fish for the most part, unlike Malyalees/Keralites (from Kerala) who eat a lot more sea and backwater fish. Most of the freshwater fish are unavailable here; I don't know how these fish respond to freezing (and if it's different to sea fish). Properly frozen, and importantly, properly thawed fish can be very very good. Further let me add that some fish (or preparations) are better with frozen fish.

On Hilsa:
Hilsa or Ilish/Elish* as it is known to Bengalis (pronounced Ee (as in email) + leash (as in what city squirrels need to be put on)) is the most loved fish among the community (and I'm not one for superlatives); preparations with mustard paste, Sorshe bata Ilish are especially popular. Hilsa, like Salmon, is a sea/river fish, in that it swims upriver to spawn. As I indicated earlier, it is 'in season' during the monsoons when it starts it jouney, although it is occasionally available at other times (but never as tasty). Frozen Hilsa is available here year round ("Chandipur Hilsa", Bangladesh origin) and in my experience can cook up very very well, but also turn out quite bad. This may depend on how long and/or how well the piece has been frozen (and thawed) and also if the fish has roe (the roe is very tasty but that fish is less so - and you can't tell in a frozen one if you getting a roe filled or roeless fish). I'd rather take a chance on fish that's possibly frozen not too long than frozen a long time and freezer burnt. As for what's available in a restaurant I can only hope they get better stuff than I do. It is, as I mentioned, this is right time for hilsa which hopefully hasn't been frozen too long.

On Fish Balls:
I'm assuming these 'fish balls' are the Chithol fish balls. (I know I saw 'Chitol' on the menu, I don't remember if the fish balls were Chitol). Chithol maach-er muittha** is quite an unusual dish from an unusual fish. The flesh for these balls comes from the top of the fish, on either side of the dorsal fin, and running the length of the fish. This flesh is scraped off with a spoon or similar implement. It takes skill and practice to do this without getting any small bones or much wastage and is usually done by the fishmonger (or an assistant). This scraped fish 'paste' which is somewhat slimy is formed into fish balls with some starchy material mixed in (usually potato). When cooked, and this is the unusual part, this flesh becomes a little rubbery almost like plastic (like unchewed chewing gum though slightly softer) but still slightly translucentish - which is why I think the starch needs to be mixed in to make the balls. I have not come across any other fish protein that behaves like this, almost like egg whites. In fact, the rest of the fish is cut into steaks and behaves like 'normal' fish and is used in gravies/curries. Properly made these Chitol fishballs can be great - light, slightly chewy and spongy - excellenty suited for 'gravies'. In preparing these 'fish balls' it is better and easier to handle (less slimy) if the scraped flesh has been frozen for a bit. I don't know if premade fishballs are available frozen (I haven't looked) or if the fish itself is (Chitol is available year round). I think Chitol 'paste' is also sold.

So the frozenness of the fish is not an issue as far as Sonagaon is concerned. In fact, their listing some of these fish dishes on the menu is to some extent attractive. However, it is just odd (to me) to see some way off season and I've resisted as I also would to say strawberries and cream or a cold beer in Winter.

Vital Information wrote: The owners and staff at Sonorogon are Muslim and their menu also makes several nods for general "Muslim-Indian" cooking (nehari, haleem, etc.). I wonder if that is an issue for non-Muslim Bengali's?

Bengali muslim cookery has produced some fantastic dishes including biriyanis, etc. These are quite different from other 'Indian' muslim versions - Hyderabadi or Lucknow or other styles . There are also some specific Bengali Muslim dishes such as rezalas (meat in lightly spiced yogurt based gravy with the spark of fresh green chilies) and variations like Dhakai (adjectival form of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh) Porota (Paratha) which are superb on their own right. These would be available in restaurants that specialize in this sort of food and Bengali non-Muslims do take delight in this cuisine as well. On Devon however, the nuances of 'Bengali muslim' cookery may not be apparent and a restaurant serving only this would probably not survive.
In eating a (Bengali) meal however, it is hard/odd to mix dishes from cuisines, and unfortunately none of the vegetable dishes I noticed were really 'Bengali' (and one has to have a vegetable dish first). IIRC, the vegetable dishes seemed quasiPunjabi and that's mainly what's kept me out. Also the nod to "Muslim-Indian" cooking may have have made it less distinguishable (on paper) for me.
That said, Sonargaon may have spectacular dishes (as some posts indicate).

zim wrote: sazerac, as I've mentioned before I like their bhartha quite a bit and find it a little different than most versions I've had (mainly punjabi) which have substantial tomato (which if you believe most of the older punjabi women I 've met, should be grated) component. Sonargaon's is simpler, more like the good smoky baba ganouj folks are looking for in that semaramis thread, and wondered if this is more a house preference or a regional preference.

The mentions of smoky baba ghanouj in that thread actually reminded me of the Bengali versions. One is bharta which is no doubt related to those from other parts of India, and the other is simply Begun Poda/Pora*** which translated is simply burnt/roasted brinjal. For both dishes, the eggplant is completely charred by placing directly on a gas flame (or on charcoal). The burnt skin is then removed by hand (obviously, so some burnt bits invariably get mixed in and gives the dish its roasted smoky flavor). Sometimes the two names (bharta and pora) are used interchangeably, since begun pora can get more complicated than some of the simple treatments (mustard oil, chopped onions, green chilies, cilantro; this and other spicing would depend on what else is being eaten).
I've always thought of bharta as starting with 'roasted' charred eggplant. Is the 'real' Punjabi and/or Kashmiri version different?


*Biological name: Hilsa ilisha

**Pronounced 'Chi' (as in Chimp) + 'th' (as in thing) + 'ol' (as in toll);
Hmm, I need to learn those pronounciation things, velar fricassees and the like , so my expanations aren't so complicated
Maach = fish (Bengali) [Hindi: Machli; Tamil, Malyalam: Meen]. The 'er' after maach indicates it's an adjective.
Muittha (pronounced 'Mooit' + (stress)'Th' (as in Thomas) + 'a' (as in Ah)) in this context refers to the fishballs. I think the word derives from 'mutho' which means fist, as that's how they are formed, but I'm no food scholar or linguist.

***pronouunced "Bay" + "Goon". Bengali for eggplant (Baingan in Hindi)
Poda/Pora, pronounced "Po" (as in pour) + (r)d (as in card but very lightly sounded 'r') + a (as in Ah); it means roasted or burnt.

This thread is the closest I can find to an existing discussion about Tiffin.

This past Friday, I had a taste for Indian food but Cookie wanted to go somewhere with some atmosphere that's a little more comfortable to her than your average formica-tabled cabbie joint. She suggested Tiffin. Not having been there in well over a year, we got in the car and headed there.

Cookie (often known as petit pois, but she much prefers "Cookie") always insists on samosas to start the meal and these were quite good and surprisingly very spicy. I'm bored with samosas in general and I was much more into the gratis papadums which tasted about as fresh and light as I've had.

The aloo gobi was very tasty and well-spiced, the cauliflower and potatoes were cooked perfectly with a little crunch left in the cauliflower. A lamb dish in a sweeter, nut-based sauce was very interesting and something I'll look for again on other menus (I was relying on their on-line menu for the name of this dish, but it is not listed). I also enjoyed our saffron rice with peas. The naan was a little to soft and pillowy for my taste, but not bad.

I was least satisfied with the chicken tikka masala: flavorless, chewy chunks of boneless chicken breast in a smooth, but lackluster, sauce. Though, it did taste better the next day for lunch.

It's easy to bash Devon's fanciest restaurant as inauthentic or soul-less, and while the food certainly doesn't have the same depth and complexity that I've enjoyed elsewhere, it certainly was heads-and-tails above a recent flat, one-note meal at Hema's.

Tiffin's not my first choice for dining on Devon, but it's not my last choice either.

(Side Note: There were a surprising number of Indians dining at Tiffin that night. Some families and at least two young couples on dates--almost a third of the room. I had always written Tiffin off as fancy Indian food for white people, I was proven wrong that night.)

Best,
Michael

i was going to make a whole thread abotu tiffin since ive eaten there a few times but i figured it had been discussed to death before

i have been there twice, if you can make it around 5-6pm on a weekday the place is real quiet and empty

its the only spot on devon ive been to but the food is off the charts

I haven't been to Tiffin for a while, but when I went for dinner a few times, I was pretty pleased, particularly with a curried crab dish, which wasn't something I'd seen on many Indian menus, but which was also very tasty on its own merits.

Last time I was there was for the lunch buffet; while the food was good, it was much more "common" Indian food; I had hoped to see more unusual dishes (remembering that curried crab) but it was a pretty straight menu. I suppose they figure that lunch buffet competition on Devon is pretty high -- I doubt there would be demand enough for a higher priced, finer quality offering.

germuska wrote:I haven't been to Tiffin for a while, but when I went for dinner a few times, I was pretty pleased, particularly with a curried crab dish, which wasn't something I'd seen on many Indian menus, but which was also very tasty on its own merits.

Last time I was there was for the lunch buffet; while the food was good, it was much more "common" Indian food; I had hoped to see more unusual dishes (remembering that curried crab) but it was a pretty straight menu. I suppose they figure that lunch buffet competition on Devon is pretty high -- I doubt there would be demand enough for a higher priced, finer quality offering.

Completely agree with this, especially the crab dish, its the one nod they make to their regional background and very good (also I think the most expensive item on the menu), other than that I think the only reason folks to tiffin is for better "atmosphere" than other devon spots and a willingness to pay more for such.

Any more recent reports on Viceroy of India? They now deliver to my neighborhood, and since parking on Devon is such a pain, I want to do a little scouting before a visit. Any recs? Things to avoid?

Thanks, all.

We dined here last night. Overall, it was okay...just okay.

We had the vegatable snack plate for an appetizer. Good, but how bad can deep fried potatoes, califlower, samosas be? My husband was in India last year, attending a wedding of a friend and he traveled with the family for about 10 days. He wanted to go somewhere where he could get Hyderabad lamb biryani, as this was his favorite meal during his travels. So he ordered this. I ordered the chicken tikki masala.

He was a little disappointed with the biranyi as he expected the rice to be less dry. The lamb was a bit overcooked as well. I loved the tikki masala sauce, but I got 2 pieces of chicken in it that were no bigger than my thumb which was a bit of a let down.

We also got chai tea, which was very nice and shared the pista kulfi, which I liked, but he didn't care much for.

The service was great and the room was 1/2 full at 8pm on a Wednesday, many with tables for 5 or more people.

So I am on this Indian food kick lately. I crave Indian food at least twice a week! Especially briyani. My current faves are Ghareeb Nawaz and Baba's Palace. I love the way the chicken tastes in Ghareeb's chicken briyani, but prefer the more aggressively spiced rice in Baba's version.

My coworker loves Ghareeb's briyani so much that when he left the project here in Chicago (he lives in DC), we went to Ghareeb and he ordered 6 briyanis to go, and hand carried them back to DC.

Baba's Palace is 2 blocks from me which makes it so easy to pick something up on the way home. In fact I was there on Tuesday and ordered aloo palak, chicken makhani, chicken briyani, 2 naans, and 2 kheers all for the grand total of .... $25

CM2772 wrote:We dined here last night.

Where is "here"? Viceroy?

CM2772 wrote:My husband was in India last year, attending a wedding of a friend and he traveled with the family for about 10 days. He wanted to go somewhere where he could get Hyderabad lamb biryani, as this was his favorite meal during his travels.

Next time, he should go to Usmania or Hyderabad House -- the two places that excel at this dish.