Delhi Dhaba
Arlington, Virginia, between Courthouse and Virginia Square (sorry for the local Metro references) has three Indian restaurants. I'm going to focus on my favorite of the three: Delhi Dhaba (the other two are The Delhi Club and Tandoori Nights - both are quite good, but in much different ways! Stay tuned for reviews of them in upcoming posts).
A Dhaba, in India and Pakistan, is a the South Asian equivilant of a truck stop or roadside diner. Located on Wilson Blvd., Delhi Dhaba isn't quite a truck stop - not nearly enough parking - but does have a friendly charm about it.
First off, there's no wait service. You order directly from in front of the steam table and take the food to the dining area (in warmer weather, there's an outdoor area). The dining area features Bollywood movies on two screens at no extra cost!
On weekends, the steam table becomes a buffet where you can get all you can eat for a very reasonable price.
I've eaten at the Dhaba for lunch, dinner, buffet lunch, carry out and delivery. Selecting from a wide variety of meat (chicken, lamb, goat) and vegetarian dishes, I've never been disappointed.
One of the best, and most authentic Indian experiences in the Washington area.
(Note: there are also two other locations in Bethesda, MD and Washington, DC).
Meal: Lunch Buffet / Dinner / Carry out
Rating: **** of 5
Date: Regular
Address: 2424 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201
Website: http://www.delhidhaba.com/
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Shangri-la beneath the November moon: Kashmir
Kashmir
The eternally trendy Newbury Street in Boston has a number of fine restaurants, one of my all time favorites, however, is Kashmir. A well appointed Indian restaurant located down a flight of steps at the low numbered end of the street.
On a previous trip to Boston, I was shanghaied by co-workers who didn't want to make the trip across the Charles and instead led us to Mexican place in Cambridge that has since achieved notoriety among us for the persistence of olfactory memory it provides diners.
Though I was unable to satisfy my desire for Kashmir on that trip, I was able to later find fulfillment for my lamb rogan josh craving elsewhere in Cambridge.
(Was that too much information?) ... sorry, anyway, so when I needed to meet a colleague at her office in Boston Public Library, the lure of Kashmir just a few blocks away was impossible to resist.
Though mid-week, there was still a nice crowd - enough to not feel alone, but not too many to feel crowded. Greeted at our table with a tiny, complimentary, samosa, the night was off to a great start!
For appetizers, we had the Kashmiri Vegetarian sampler that included a nice selection of pakora, samosa and the like. As per my preference, the meal was accompanied by bread (an especially tasty and well done naan in this case), rice, and raita. I always find it a special touch when served a nice pickle tray, and Kashmir provided a nice selection of chutneys for the meal.
Feeling in a fowl mood, my companion and I selected two chicken dishes, Chicken Murgh Masala and Chicken Tikka Saag. Both were well done and served over tiny flames to retain heat. The Tikka Saag was quite good, but the Murg Masala was the winner of the two.
The excellent and attentive service was capped off with warm towels.
Highly recommended!
(for those of you confused by the title of this post, see: Led Zeppelin, "Kashmir")
Meal: Dinner
Rating: ***** of 5
Date: 19 November 2008
Address: 279 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116
Website: http://www.oneworldcuisine.com
The eternally trendy Newbury Street in Boston has a number of fine restaurants, one of my all time favorites, however, is Kashmir. A well appointed Indian restaurant located down a flight of steps at the low numbered end of the street.
On a previous trip to Boston, I was shanghaied by co-workers who didn't want to make the trip across the Charles and instead led us to Mexican place in Cambridge that has since achieved notoriety among us for the persistence of olfactory memory it provides diners.
Though I was unable to satisfy my desire for Kashmir on that trip, I was able to later find fulfillment for my lamb rogan josh craving elsewhere in Cambridge.
(Was that too much information?) ... sorry, anyway, so when I needed to meet a colleague at her office in Boston Public Library, the lure of Kashmir just a few blocks away was impossible to resist.
Though mid-week, there was still a nice crowd - enough to not feel alone, but not too many to feel crowded. Greeted at our table with a tiny, complimentary, samosa, the night was off to a great start!
For appetizers, we had the Kashmiri Vegetarian sampler that included a nice selection of pakora, samosa and the like. As per my preference, the meal was accompanied by bread (an especially tasty and well done naan in this case), rice, and raita. I always find it a special touch when served a nice pickle tray, and Kashmir provided a nice selection of chutneys for the meal.
Feeling in a fowl mood, my companion and I selected two chicken dishes, Chicken Murgh Masala and Chicken Tikka Saag. Both were well done and served over tiny flames to retain heat. The Tikka Saag was quite good, but the Murg Masala was the winner of the two.
The excellent and attentive service was capped off with warm towels.
Highly recommended!
(for those of you confused by the title of this post, see: Led Zeppelin, "Kashmir")
Meal: Dinner
Rating: ***** of 5
Date: 19 November 2008
Address: 279 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116
Website: http://www.oneworldcuisine.com
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Mmmm'mm Momo!
Taste of the Himalayas
I mentioned momo in my last post, so I have to mention Taste of the Himalayas! I was back on the West Coast for a meeting in San Francisco and staying in the Marina District. One of my goals for the trip was a revisiting Taste of the Himalayas.
Located on the busy and noisy Lombard Street, TotH is an island of peace and calm. On my previous visit, my companion and I ordered the prix fixe meal that was literally and endless feast of delights. As an added bonus, the restaurant was nearly empty and we received particularly attentive service from the staff. On this visit, that option wasn't offered, so the three of us selected from the regular menu. Our service, was great (but - note to self - I think I'm a bit too old to be sitting on pillows on the floor, take a seat next time!)
Of course momo was mandatory and we went with the vegetarian option. We also received the dal that came with the entrees. For entrees, we went with a selection of lamb, chicken, and vegetarian: Bheda ko Tarkari (lamb cooked in onion and tomatoes), Saag paneer (spinach and cheese) and a chicken curry. Sides of bread, raita finished off the meal.
If you're in the Marina District, you'll probably be tempted to stick with the chi-chi spots located alone Chestnut Street, but do climb that extra block to reach the culinary heights of Taste of the Himalayas!
More photos
Meal: Dinner
Rating: ***** of 5
Date: 26 October 2008 (17 January 2008)
Address: 2420 Lombard St., San Francisco, CA 94123
Website: http://www.tasteofnepalsf.com/Welcome.html
I mentioned momo in my last post, so I have to mention Taste of the Himalayas! I was back on the West Coast for a meeting in San Francisco and staying in the Marina District. One of my goals for the trip was a revisiting Taste of the Himalayas.
Located on the busy and noisy Lombard Street, TotH is an island of peace and calm. On my previous visit, my companion and I ordered the prix fixe meal that was literally and endless feast of delights. As an added bonus, the restaurant was nearly empty and we received particularly attentive service from the staff. On this visit, that option wasn't offered, so the three of us selected from the regular menu. Our service, was great (but - note to self - I think I'm a bit too old to be sitting on pillows on the floor, take a seat next time!)
Of course momo was mandatory and we went with the vegetarian option. We also received the dal that came with the entrees. For entrees, we went with a selection of lamb, chicken, and vegetarian: Bheda ko Tarkari (lamb cooked in onion and tomatoes), Saag paneer (spinach and cheese) and a chicken curry. Sides of bread, raita finished off the meal.
If you're in the Marina District, you'll probably be tempted to stick with the chi-chi spots located alone Chestnut Street, but do climb that extra block to reach the culinary heights of Taste of the Himalayas!
More photos
Meal: Dinner
Rating: ***** of 5
Date: 26 October 2008 (17 January 2008)
Address: 2420 Lombard St., San Francisco, CA 94123
Website: http://www.tasteofnepalsf.com/Welcome.html
Polo Indian Club
Polo India Club
We had a busy fall with out of town visitors! In late September we took our Yukon visitors to Aroma Indian Restaurant. A few days later, we were back for more Indian with our Boston relatives!
This time, we selected the Polo India Club in DuPont Circle. It had been a number of years since I'd been to the Polo India Club, but I had fond memories of dinners there as well as the buffet lunch. Located a few steps up in an old townhouse, the Polo India Club was looking a little more dingy than I recall.
I had just got back in town from a trip to Woods Hole (see La Cucina Sul Mare) and was ready for another restaurant meal.
I was surprised to see momo on the menu under appetizers. I usually associate momo with Nepalese cuisine. Now I know that Indian and Nepalese are closely related, I rarely see them overlap in a primarily Indian restaurant, such as Polo India Club. But, since I love momo, I was willing to give them a try. For those of you unfamiliar with momo, they're a cross between a dumpling and a samosa. Steamed, not fried, the momo can have various fillings and side sauces; we got the veggie (Nepali spices and steamed inside the wheat bread served with Nepali aachar) and they were quite tasty.
For main courses, we decided to sample each others' dishes and not do a full sharing. It was the lamb thing. I was the only one who wanted lamb. Oh, and a spicy thing too. We had a mix of spicy and mild, so it was easier to get separate dishes. This was good news/bad news for me, I didn't get to try as many things, but it did let me get Lamb Vindaloo! What could be better than hot spicy lamb! Not much!
The vindaloo was very well done, but the lamb was a little tough. This was a problem with a couple of the other dishes, especially the chicken which was on the stringy side. Overall, the consensus was that the offerings were good, but not great.
Service was adequate, but we had some communication problems with our waiter and getting seconds on our wine and beer took a bit of time.
Tasty food, if you select right, but if you're looking for something a little more special, walk a few extra blocks and find Aroma Indian Restaurant.
Meal: Dinner
Rating: *** of 5
Date: 2 October 2008
Address: 1736 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20009
Website: http://www.poloindiaclubdc.com/
We had a busy fall with out of town visitors! In late September we took our Yukon visitors to Aroma Indian Restaurant. A few days later, we were back for more Indian with our Boston relatives!
This time, we selected the Polo India Club in DuPont Circle. It had been a number of years since I'd been to the Polo India Club, but I had fond memories of dinners there as well as the buffet lunch. Located a few steps up in an old townhouse, the Polo India Club was looking a little more dingy than I recall.
I had just got back in town from a trip to Woods Hole (see La Cucina Sul Mare) and was ready for another restaurant meal.
I was surprised to see momo on the menu under appetizers. I usually associate momo with Nepalese cuisine. Now I know that Indian and Nepalese are closely related, I rarely see them overlap in a primarily Indian restaurant, such as Polo India Club. But, since I love momo, I was willing to give them a try. For those of you unfamiliar with momo, they're a cross between a dumpling and a samosa. Steamed, not fried, the momo can have various fillings and side sauces; we got the veggie (Nepali spices and steamed inside the wheat bread served with Nepali aachar) and they were quite tasty.
For main courses, we decided to sample each others' dishes and not do a full sharing. It was the lamb thing. I was the only one who wanted lamb. Oh, and a spicy thing too. We had a mix of spicy and mild, so it was easier to get separate dishes. This was good news/bad news for me, I didn't get to try as many things, but it did let me get Lamb Vindaloo! What could be better than hot spicy lamb! Not much!
The vindaloo was very well done, but the lamb was a little tough. This was a problem with a couple of the other dishes, especially the chicken which was on the stringy side. Overall, the consensus was that the offerings were good, but not great.
Service was adequate, but we had some communication problems with our waiter and getting seconds on our wine and beer took a bit of time.
Tasty food, if you select right, but if you're looking for something a little more special, walk a few extra blocks and find Aroma Indian Restaurant.
Meal: Dinner
Rating: *** of 5
Date: 2 October 2008
Address: 1736 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20009
Website: http://www.poloindiaclubdc.com/
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Smells Like a South Asian Delight
Aroma Indian Restaurant
Tucked into a little sidestreet in the Foggy Bottom area of Washington (actually, just across the street from El Chalan!), Aroma's snug little dining area is perfect for a quiet dinner for two or a small group.
On my last visit, we were entertaining out of town relatives (all the way from Whitehorse, Yukon!) and we'd just spent a full day visiting museums and walking all around town. By the time we settled in, we had worked up a good appetite.
Indian dining works best when you can share a number of dishes and Aroma's selections were perfect for sharing. We started out with an order of bhelpuri and the vegetarian appetizer sampler.
For those of you not familiar with bhelpuri, run out and try it as soon as possible. A delightful blend of rice crisps mixed with fresh chopped onions, tomatoes, and coriander, made with with a tamarind base chutney. Aroma's bhelpuri offering was done to perfection and is highly recommended. The vegetarian sampler was, like most samplers, reminiscent of a short story collection - some were good, others great, and there were a few clunkers.
Still, for a group, everyone found something they liked.
For selected four dishes for the main course. Lamb can sometimes be dicey in a group (I find people have strong feelings about lamb - either you love it or hate it, rarely are people wishy-washy on lamb). Luckily, we had another lamb lover in the group, so we could get one of my favorites, the Lamb Roganjosh. The lamb was well done with just the right mix of spices. We had to vegetarian dishes, the Channa Masala and Saag Paneer, but quite good. Adding to the mix was a nicely done Chicken Curry.
Complimenting the main course were rice, raita, and a selection of breads.
The staff of Aroma were well informed on the food and could make recommendations for good mixes. The wine selection was acceptable (we had a red).
Overall, highly recommended.
Meal: Dinner
Rating: **** of 5
Date: 27 September 2008
Address: 1919 I St NW, Washington, DC 20006
Website: http://www.aromarestaurant.com/
Tucked into a little sidestreet in the Foggy Bottom area of Washington (actually, just across the street from El Chalan!), Aroma's snug little dining area is perfect for a quiet dinner for two or a small group.
On my last visit, we were entertaining out of town relatives (all the way from Whitehorse, Yukon!) and we'd just spent a full day visiting museums and walking all around town. By the time we settled in, we had worked up a good appetite.
Indian dining works best when you can share a number of dishes and Aroma's selections were perfect for sharing. We started out with an order of bhelpuri and the vegetarian appetizer sampler.
For those of you not familiar with bhelpuri, run out and try it as soon as possible. A delightful blend of rice crisps mixed with fresh chopped onions, tomatoes, and coriander, made with with a tamarind base chutney. Aroma's bhelpuri offering was done to perfection and is highly recommended. The vegetarian sampler was, like most samplers, reminiscent of a short story collection - some were good, others great, and there were a few clunkers.
Still, for a group, everyone found something they liked.
For selected four dishes for the main course. Lamb can sometimes be dicey in a group (I find people have strong feelings about lamb - either you love it or hate it, rarely are people wishy-washy on lamb). Luckily, we had another lamb lover in the group, so we could get one of my favorites, the Lamb Roganjosh. The lamb was well done with just the right mix of spices. We had to vegetarian dishes, the Channa Masala and Saag Paneer, but quite good. Adding to the mix was a nicely done Chicken Curry.
Complimenting the main course were rice, raita, and a selection of breads.
The staff of Aroma were well informed on the food and could make recommendations for good mixes. The wine selection was acceptable (we had a red).
Overall, highly recommended.
Meal: Dinner
Rating: **** of 5
Date: 27 September 2008
Address: 1919 I St NW, Washington, DC 20006
Website: http://www.aromarestaurant.com/
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