India Chef

publication date: Jul 7, 2008

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author/source: Tim Altork and John Breech / STAFF

First Impression
John: I can’t say that I’ve ever been underwhelmed at a restaurant’s outer appearance, but I was at India Chef. It looked like Tim and I were about to go spend our evening dining in a mobile home. Although I must admit, I have dined in a mobile home or two (don’t ask) and it wasn’t always terrible. So on that note, I’ll say this: any preconceived notions I had based on the outside of the restaurant were completely turned around once I stepped inside. The inside is quaint and unassuming, almost exactly like I pictured the inside of an Indian restaurant to be. It was kind of dingy, but in a good way, if that’s possible and/or makes sense. Haziz, who would end up being our server, seated us quickly and that’s when the adventure started.

Tim: The outside is unimpressive, but the inside has it where it counts. India Chef is in the building that used to be Cheers (and was something else for a short time after that, I think) and the bar in the middle of the room bears a striking resemblance to the one in the television show. If a fat accountant and a mailman in uniform had strolled in while we were there I would have been really freaked out.

The bar based on an icon of Americana was oddly accompanied by the drones of a wailing sitar in the background. That kind of did freak me out.

I also had a giant Indian beer called Taj Mahal for the first time. In fact, I think this was the first time I had had Indian beer of any kind. It was very smooth and somewhat sweet, not unlike the typical American lager, but it had a little more body and complexity. I’d definitely drink it again, even though I’m a fan of the darker ales.

Appetizer
John: As far as I know, Tim has never had Indian food, while my only experience with the food was when I was dragged to an Indian restaurant by a girlfriend when I was 20. At the time I was in a pretty serious hot dog, doughnut and hot pocket faze, so I really didn’t take the time to appreciate the food. However, I made sure not to make the same mistake again.

To start off the meal, we ordered the Shrimp Puri and the meat Somosa. The Puri was fantastic. The shrimp is sautéed in onions and a sauce that smells, tastes and looks like it’s made of about 50 percent brown sugar. The dish is also served with tortilla-like bread that is actually lighter and tastier than a tortilla, which is good because it doesn’t fill you up. The Somosa, on the other hand, reminded me of an eggroll, which was also a good thing because I like egg rolls.

Tim: My wife has made some curry dishes in the past, but this was my first full Indian dining experience. To me the appetizers were kind of like when you hear a great song for the first time. It’s that rare mix of pleasure and surprise that cannot be duplicated the 900th time you hear “Sweet Home Alabama” or eat at McDonald’s.

There were flavor combinations in the dipping sauces that deftly and uniquely combined sweetness and spiciness – and sweet-and-spicy is one of my favorite traits in any sauce.

Entrées
John: The first thing I noticed about the menu is that the words lamb, beef, chicken and shrimp were everywhere. Sometimes they were followed by familiar words like curry, mushroom or tandoori; while other times they were followed by words that didn’t have enough vowels, like bhuna, vindaloo or jalfrazi.

Tim and I, being 50 percent crazy, decided to go with one familiar sounding dish in lamb curry; and one unfamiliar sounding dish in the beef bhuna. The lamb curry is phenomenal because it’s so simple. It’s perfectly cooked lamb, combined with a spicy sauce; no more, no less. Although make sure you serve your dishes over the provided rice or you may leave not completely filled up.

As for the bhuna, it was tasty for a different reason. It was covered in a spicy sauce that included fresh tomatoes. I’m not a big tomato fan, but when they’re fresh, wow. I would put them in a milkshake.

Tim: First of all, if you take the two of us as a whole, Breech is the half that is crazy. Second, I like Indian food because it isn’t bashful about turning up the spice dial. The beef bhuna was served with slices of jalapeno peppers and small chunks of onions right in the sauce. The meat was tender and flavorful in both dishes and the portions were plentiful enough for Breech to take some home.

And they serve the entrees with a loaf of Naan, the buttery, light flatbread that apparently is an Indian staple.

Dessert
John: Oh wait, we didn’t have dessert, which brings me (and presumably Tim) to the last point, the final grade. All along we’ve insisted that the final grade wasn’t an average of the total grades, but an overall feeling on how well the evening went…

Tim: Yeah, we didn’t get dessert. Unless you count the semi-melted Skittles that were in my car that I ate on the way home. That wasn’t cool. I mean, what did your parents do as punishment when you were a kid? Send you to bed without dessert, that’s what.

Overall
John: After our main course was served, we were left alone to eat for about an hour, which was weird because we were done eating after about 30 minutes. That means we sat there with no service for a good 30 minutes. Now this can be looked at one of three ways. We can take pity on the fact that it was Thursday July 3, which would really be Friday in the restaurant industry since most people are off on the Fourth. If that’s the case and they were understaffed (only two servers), then I actually feel bad (because really, people were seating themselves, then getting frustrated when they had no service. I mean seriously who does that?).

Or it could just be that the service there is that bad. Kind of like an incredibly attractive girl with no personality who thinks her looks (i.e. their food) will overcome her personality shortcomings (i.e. service).

However, it could be a combination of bad luck with decent service that made it look bad in reality. (Are you still with me because I almost lost myself.)

That being said, I almost have to reserve judgment until I go there again. I’ll let my food grades stand alone here because really, there is nothing not awesome about lamb curry.

Tim: The service thing was really a bummer. It’s kind of like in college when you are acing a course and pulling a solid A, then you sleep through the final exam and end up with a C in the class. The grade isn’t really a reflection of your knowledge of the subject matter, but it’s what ends up on your transcript anyway.

The analogy is obvious here. India Chef did everything right – the food was fantastic and delivered in a timely fashion – until the end when the late evening rush crippled their service.

I wish my college professors would have done this for me, but I’m with Breech on this one.