BiteClub Eats » Indian

Torch of India opens

biteclub — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:08:10 +0000

Lunchtime buffet good. Picture bad.

Billing itself as “Solano County’s #1 Indian Restaurant”, Torch of India’s tagline might be a bit of an undersell in SoCo. Because while no one doubt’s Vacaville’s contribution to the expansion of chain restaurants, culinary mecca isn’t usually among it’s descriptors.

Number one is number one, though. And not to be scoffed at. With a sunny new coat of paint on the walls, a solid opening lunch buffet ($8.95) featuring Makhni (butter chicken!), Jalphrez, tandoori, pakora, saag paneer and lentils, along with fresh salads and steaming naan, the Torch is off to a bright downtown start.

Inside the former Kabab and Curry, the bar has been removed to make way for the lunch buffet, and the interior brightened up. Bollywood videos on flat-screen tv’s set the mood, providing instant conversation starters should dates/co-workers/online meet-ups turn dull. (You can brush up on the dance moves here) or here.

The new owners are from the northern region of India, so there’s lots of rich cream sauces (Kashmiri lamb cooked in a cream mint sauce), lamb, tandoor, kabab and clearly-marked vegan and vegetarian dal, masala and curries. The menu runs for eight full pages, so there’s clearly more tasting to be done. Much more tasting. Plus, the beer and wine license is about a week away, as are the belly dancers.

Stay tuned for more tastes, but for now, here’s to being number one. Wherever you’re from.

Torch of India, 507 4th St., Santa Rosa, open M-Sat for lunch and diner (closed 2:30 to 5:30pm) , Sunday from 5:30 to 9:30pm. 569-7500

Report: Avatar’s Punjabi Burritos

biteclub — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:45:43 +0000

Quick hit on Avatar’s Punjabi Burritos…
Stopped by last week with some friends, and the biggest surprise is that the burritos were actually our least favorite thing on the menu. Daily specials are where you want to focus your attention.

Less hokey that it sounds, Avatar’s has a solid grasp on Indian cuisine, but offers up a simple “burritos” (actually Indian flatbread) with fillers like curried garbanzo beans, potatoes, saffron rice, curried vegetables, lamb, chicken, shrimp, salmon and other tasty add-ins. You can completely customize your combo, so it’s a great choice for vegetarians, gluten-free or dairy-free eaters.

Daily specials showcase the restaurant’s flair for fusion/Indian cuisine. We had an excellent salad with grilled vegetables and surprisingly excellent lamb enchiladas.

Definitely worth stopping by to check out.

131 Kentucky Str
Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 765-9775
www.enjoyavatars.com

Neela’s Indian Style Cuisine

biteclub — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:03:56 +0000

Think curry with a spray tan and Pradas looking for it’s breakout role and you’ve got the idea behind Neela’s Contemporary Indian Cooking in Napa.

Not your everyday tikka or aspiring saag, former LA chef Neela Paniz (who inspired Southern California diners with her restaurant Bombay Cafe and subsequent cookbook), brings the flavors of her homeland to a higher consciousness.

The spanking-new restaurant in downtown Napa is all about clean lines,
balanced spices, fresh ingredients and an fusion of contemporary
California cuisine with Indian classics — tandoor, curries and
vegetable dish that are both familiar and exotic.

Unlike many local restaurants, Neela’s gets inspiration from both the
rich Moghul meat and milk-based curries of the north (Makhni Tikka,
$16) as well as spicy, mostly vegetarian dishes from the south (Eggplant
Bharta, $9). Plus a whole lot in-between, like a deconstructed Mattar
Paneer ($12) — farm cheese with tomato coulis and fresh peas or crispy
okra strands seasoned with dried green mango powder ($6).

Can’t miss menu faves: prawn and mango samosa, delicate tilapia in
coconut milk curry (Meen Moili, $20), tandoor chicken and mint rolls and housemade naan
with sesame. At lunch, don’t miss “katoris”, traditional steel lunch
bowls with rice, naan, veggies and chutney. Instead of settling on a
single type of naan, indulge in a bread basket with chapati, onion and
garlic naan for the table ($8). Entree portions are small, and we mean tiny…but surprisingly filling. You’ll likely balk until you fill up, then end up with a backpack-sized doggy bag.

Desserts range from cayenne chocolate cake to a lush Gajjar Ka Halwa
($8) — a usually treacly mix of carrots and raisins — that is instead
richly infused with cardamom, milk and the natural sweetness of
carrots. All with a well-matched wine list from California and beyond — this is Napa, darlings.

Neela’s Contemporary Indian Cooking, 975 Clinton St., Napa, (707) 226-9988. Neelasnapa.com

Price Check: Dinner for two with two glasses of wine will run you around $70.
(Considerably less if you forgo appetizers and dessert or stick to
vegetarian entrees)
.

Indian Restaurants in Soco: The Naan-o-matic Guide

biteclub — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:45:20 +0000

Not sure
where to eat Indian? Here’s your Naan-o-matic Guide to Indian Eats in Sonoma and Napa.

BiteClub gives a rating from 1-5 (being the best) for Naan (fresh Indian bread served with the meal); Tikka Masala (which, though hardly authentic, is the General Tso Chicken of Indian cuisine and a benchmark for most non-native eaters); whethere they have live entertainment (sitar, bellydancing) or a lunch buffet; price (from $ to $$$$ — Indian food can be surprisingly spendy) and some of the restaurant’s specialties.

Click on the name of the restaurant for more information and details.

Restaurant	Naan	Tikka	Belly Dancing	Lunch Buffet	Price	Specialties
Pamposh	4	5	No	No	$$$$	Top pick for Sonoma County. Don’t miss the tandoori or apricot chicken. Well-trained staff and always-spot-on dishes from this SR kitchen. Tikka is dead on.
Neela’s Indian Cuisine	4	4	No	No	$$$$	Haute Indian style cuisine with a California influence. Excellent wine list, top-notch naan and delicate flavors that make it a top pick.
Pine Cone	UR	UR	No		$$	Odd mix of Indian and turkey-dishes makes for a unique, but sometimes confusing menu.
Kabob & Curry House	3	3		No	$$$	Solid downtown SR curries.
Sizzling Tandoor	3	4	Yes	Yes	$$$	Butter chicken beats tikka hands down. Extensive menu can sometimes be overwhelming.Regional specialties are worth checking out. Live entertainment including belly dancers and sitar music adds fun. Lunch buffet is solid, but not extraordinaty.
Karma Bistro	UR	UR	No	Yes	$$	RP/Cotati folks swear by the lunch buffet.
Anna Purna	2	UR	No	Yes	$$	Nepalese and Himalayan dishes add interest to middle-of-the-road Indian in downtown SR.
Tandoori Express	3	2	No	No	$	Cheap, cheap, cheap. Limited dishes from the steam tables at this strip mall eatery are passable, but fresh-made naan bumps up the edible factor. Cash only across from JC campus.
Himalayan Kabob and Curry House	3	4	No	No	$$$	Petaluma newcomer has struggled with service, but dishes are worth the weight. Nepalese momo add to the menu.
Masala Jack’s	3	3	No. But Bollywood videos entertain.	No	$$	A good bet in Cotati, but service can be slow. Excellent for-take out or newcomers to Indian cuisine.
Shangri-La	4	4	No	No	$$	Reasonably priced and close to SSU. Solid Tikka and wonderful naan.
Himalayan Tandoor and Curry House	3	3	No	No	$$	Nepalese dishes, plenty of vegetarian options that reflect tastes of Sebastopolians.
Yeti	5	3	No.	No	$$$	Best naan in Sonoma. Don’t miss the honey naan. Hidden away in Glen Ellen it can be hard to find, but seriously. The naan.

Yeti

biteclub — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:23:47 +0000

Best naan in Sonoma. Don’t miss the honey naan. Hidden away in Glen Ellen it can be hard to find, but seriously. The naan. Indoor and outdoor seating.

14301 Arnold Drive, Suite 19
Glen Ellen, 707.996.9930

Yeti Sonoma Website

Sizzling Tandoor

biteclub — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 23:14:34 +0000

Butter chicken beats tikka hands down. Extensive menu can sometimes be overwhelming. Regional specialties are worth checking out. Live entertainment adds fun. Lunch buffet is fine, but not extraordinary.

409 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, (707) 579-5999
www.sizzlingtandoorindianrestaurant.com

Tandoori Express: Fresh Naan

biteclub — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:08:31 +0000

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Santa Rosa’s lone cheapo Indian restaurant — Tandoori Express. For well under $10 you can get a whole lot of food — entree, veggie and naan, which makes it a favorite of broke SRJC students. But the steam tables filled with tikka masala, curry chicken and watery daal aren’t consistent enough to make me a regular. Sometimes it’s heaven in a Styrofoam box.

Othertimes…not so much.

What keeps it on my radar, however, is the fresh naan they cook to order. It’s fluffy and piping hot, usually brought out to you right from the kitchen. You can watch them flattening between their palms when you order: thwap, thwap, thwap. They also make some mean kulchas to order, inluding onion and a sweet version with fruit.

For a hole-in-the-wall place, it’s a homemade touch that can’t be beat.

Tandoori Express: 1880 Mendocino Ave # D, Santa Rosa, (707) 543-8168

Himalayan Kabob and Curry House

biteclub — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:20:56 +0000

When eating with friends, I make it a rule not to judge food too harshly. I’m there for the company, after all. Seems that reaching across the table to sample, then trash your pal’s carefully thought-out lunch tends to make people a little uncomfortable. Don’t ask me why.

That rule gets thrown out the window when I’m with other serious eaters. We snatch crumbs off each others’ plates, order as many items off the menu as we can afford and dish snarky critiques amongst ourselves.

So it’s a rare restaurant that gets a unanimous forks-up. But Petaluma’s spanking-new Himalayan Kabob and Curry House got our tongues wagging — and not just with Frances’ blazing-hot curry.

The spot on Western Ave., is a bit unfortunate, having seen the recent demise of two previous tenants, Three Blocks Off and the short-lived Vino Grigio. There’s a bit of deja-vu all over again, as fixtures (and even the etched glass door that stills says 3BO) remains pretty much the same.

With so few good Indian restaurants in P-town, however, the lengthy menu of mostly familiar curries, naan and tandoori may lead this reincarnation to a more permanent stay.

Less adventurous eaters get a solid introduction to the holy triumvirate of approachable Indian foods — chicken tikka masala, palak paneer (cheese in spinach) and vegetable curry at Himalayan. Dishes are well-spiced and rich with big chunks of meat and other goodies.

Also worth a try are more exotic Himalayan specialties including daal and momos — soft dumplings filled with meat and vegetables. The restaurant nods to the non-ethnic-inclined lunch crowd with California-style salads and simple kabobs, as well.

Despite unfortunate cheap-o signage out front, the restaurant remains white-napkin casual inside. Prices are in line with higher-end curry houses in the region (Pamposh, Kabob and Curry and Sizzling Tandoor come to mind) with most meat entrees hitting the $10-$13 range. In the early weeks, service is still spotty, ranging from slow to doting.

There’s little else to complain about, however –even at a table of serious eaters. Seems this location’s karma is about to change.

Himalayan Kabob and Curry House, 220 Western Ave., Petaluma, 707.775.4717.

PS. BiteClub hears that Star of India in the McDowell shopping center has closed, to be replaced by a new Indian eatery. LMK if you know more.

Pine Cone Restaurant

biteclub — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:32:30 +0000

The cherished Pine Cone Restaurant has recently re-opened in downtown Sebastopol under the direction of co-restauranteurs Riley Benedetti (Willie Bird) and Dikendra Maskey (Annapurna).

The menu is a hodgepodge of tofu and tempeh, turkey products (sandwiches, salads) and Indian dishes (curry and saag paneer) — a reflection of the owners’ other businesses but not exactly well-melded into a cohesive dining experience.

There’s clearly a nod to the diner’s greasy-spoon past with burgers, sandwiches and a brunch dishes adapted to a healthier lifestyle. Tofu, turkey and shellfish are major players. Pork and beef are noticably absent.

What could be a unique opportunity for a fusion of flavors, ingredients and styles plays it safe. But despite kinks (inexperienced service, some uneven dishes), Pine Cone regulars and curious Sebastopolians seem eager to see the space revitalized. 162 N. Main St., Sebastopol, 823.1375.

Masala Jack’s

biteclub — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:23:36 +0000

When someone says cheap and Indian food in the same breath,
it’s usually a recipe for indigestion, if not worse. You just don’t
want to play roulette with bargain-basement goat meat and lamb
slathered with curry sauce. Hence my slight trepidation when
BiteClubbers turned me onto Masala Jack’s which recently opened in
Cotati, featuring a menu full of curries under $7–many under $5.

Instead,
BiteClub found one of Europe’s largest curry chains come to America.
The new Cotati restaurant (which we hear may be branching out to Santa
Rosa’s downtown soon) is slick and clean, upscale Indian dining on a
daal budget. Though I’ve only begun piecing the details together, it
appears that Masala Jacks is an offshoot of Masala Jak’s–a popular
Indian restaurant from Glasgow, Scotland. That alone gives the spot
cred, as legend has it that tikka masala (one of the most popular curry
dishes ever) got its start on the British Isles. Suffice to say Brits
(and Scots) know their curry.

So here’s the deal. The menu is
packed with Indian delights both familiar and exotic. With prices so
low, feel free to explore outside your comfort zone. Palak Pakora ($2.95)
are deep fried spinach fritters that come with tamarind and mint
dipping sauce and are nearly enough for a meal on their own. Chicken Tikka Masala ($6.95) is a spicier, hotter version that you’ll find elsewhere in SoCo, but filled with big chunks of chicken. Palak Paneer,
a fresh homemade cheese cooked in creamy spinach sauce ($5.95) has
plenty of heat as well, cranking up the fascination factor on a dish
that sometimes crosses into Gerber-like mush.

Tandoor dishes, cooked in a clay oven, include the usual chicken and kababs, but also include Batakh Achari ($9.95), a pickled duck served with mango chutney. Karayla Ghosht ($5.95), a combination of bitter melon and lamb studded with spices or Bengan Bharta ($5.95), a mesquite smoked eggplant cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices that’s a perfect match with jasmine rice.

Everything
is prepared to order, so expect to cool your heels and kick back with
some Bollywood on the flat screen if you’ve got a big order. Bets bet
is to chillax with a glass of mango lassi and order up some naan. The
clay-oven baked flatbread comes in a variety-pack of flavors, from
plain to garlic, onion, cherry-stuffed and (BiteClub’s fave), chili cheese.

The one drawback to Jack’s is the fervor with which they spice, well, everything. You’ll
find whole cloves, cardamom and other herbal goodies in everything from
curries to rice. It’s not a fun thing to bite down on any sort of whole
spice, so be aware. Heat can also be eye-wateringly intense on some
dishes, so ask your server ahead of time if you’d like things cooled
down.

It’s fairly amazing that Masala Jack’s can keep prices so
low while serving up tandoor and curry that’s on par with some of the
better Indian restaurants in town. Maybe its better not to ask too many questions. And just go with the Bollywood vibe.

Masala
Jack’s Original Good Ol’ Indian Curryhouse. Open daily 11:30am to 9pm;
7981 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati, 707.795.2251. Order ahead if you’re
planning to take out.