Atithi "The Taste of India" - Schaumburg (formally Sankalp)

a few bits & blurbs (praise) about Sankalp (and it's southern Indian cooking) but not much on Atithi.

c8w wrote:My top choice, however, would probably be Sankalp (167 West Golf, Schaumburg). This is Southern Indian regional cuisine, of the Andhra/Tamil Nadu/Kannada style.

Rene G wrote:I visited Sankalp twice last winter and am longing to go back. As c8w says, the food is generally better than what you find on Devon and they offer many dishes you won't find there at all.

Has anyone been lately?

Atithi Restaurant
167 W. Golf Rd
Schaumburg IL, 60195
http://www.atithichicago.com/menu.php

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I went to Atithi once a few months ago for the lunch buffet. I liked it and had been hoping to return before mentioning it here.



It doesn't seem to have changed much from Sankalp days. The lunch buffet, with dosas made to order and delivered to the table, is roughly the same. It's nice going to an Indian buffet and having more than tandoori chicken, half a dozen dishes in indistinguishable creamy sauces and gulab jamun to choose from. Standouts were chicken sukka (dry curry) and vaghar idli (cut up idli stir fried with spices). Creamy-sauced dishes were represented by diwani handi (veg stew) and paneer butter masala. Decent rasam, sambar and tamarind rice. For dessert, kheer and dudhi halwa (made with bottle gourd).

The Sankalp tradition of Dosa Night every Thursday carries on. More exciting to me is the new Tuesday night Gujarati buffet ("from dhokla to khichadi") [unfortunately, the Gujarati buffet has been discontinued]. I'd been meaning to check that out, but forgot about it; thanks for the reminder.

Atithi
167 W Golf Rd
Schaumburg IL
847-490-4444
http://atithichicago.com/

Edited to add the Gujarati buffet has been discontinued.

I've been several times since the name change; the food is pretty much the same, as the chef has not changed.

My last several visits were for Dosa Night, and I still highly recommend it (although it can get crazy). Highlights are the lamb, chicken, egg, and paneer dosas, but pretty much any variety that doesn't feature "cheese" should be good. If you like gajar halwa, the version here is outstanding.

I did not know about the Gujarati buffet -- will definitely make it a point to visit soon.

Is the Sankalp change for all the stores? Google seems to think the Mt Prospect one (at Elmhurst & Golf) is still there, but I know that whole strip on the SE corner is due to be torn down.

JoelF wrote:Is the Sankalp change for all the stores?

Just the Schaumburg one, according to a waitress. I forget the reason now, but basically they didn't want to deal with the parent company anymore.

Rene G wrote:More exciting to me is the new Tuesday night Gujarati buffet ("from dhokla to khichadi").

cilantro wrote:I did not know about the Gujarati buffet -- will definitely make it a point to visit soon.

Unfortunately, the Gujarati buffet has been discontinued.

I went the other day for lunch, VERY much enjoyed the Lamb Pepper Fry (a dry mutton & coconut dish w/spices).

I expected this to be like the Carne Seca preparations I've had in Tucson, but there was a fair amount of "sauce" that came with the Lamb Pepper Fry.

Super high quality preparation, I'm excited to try other items here.

Side note: Anyone up for a weekday lunch in the Schaumburg area, send me a message.

went again for lunch, tried:
Telangana Aloo - Spicy tangy potato wedges tossed in a special masala. Lots of whole toasted spices in this dish, very good.
Chemmeen Porichathu - Prawns tossed in spicy keralian masala. Prawns were overcooked quite a bit, shame as the masala was delicious.

I'm going again for lunch on Tues Oct 6 with a co-worker, so will have feedback on another couple of dishes.

Held a dinner last night, 9 folks attended, not sharers though. To quote a fellow LTHer

laikom wrote:Back from Miami. I dragged some coworkers to tap tap (they also loved the place), but unfortunately they didn't want to share dishes! How depressing is it when that happens?

I agree liakom!

But based on a co-worker suggestion, I had the onion rava dosa which was terrific. Super crisp dosa with slices of onions, stuffed with a potato/pea mixture very similar to what one would get in a samosa. If anyone does try this, I suggest splitting it with someone else, it was huge.

There were a couple of condiments on the table: a cold creamy finely shredded coconut, and a hot pepper/garlic.

Atithi is closed, Godavari has opened in the space, their tag line is "the best South Indian restaurant you will ever find in the USA". Godavari appears to be a chain with locations elsewhere in the US. https://www.godavarius.com/

Co-worker & I went today, while I had my mind on the dosa I described in post above (as did my co-worker), we both ended up with the buffet to try a wide range of items. We both were pleased enough to return but next time we'll order off the menu.

Standout dish for both of us was an eggplant dish called Bagara Baingan
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