Shanti

As I mentioned in my introductory post, I've always been pretty sure that I don't like Indian food. But B and LF invited me to Shanti, so I was happy to try something new!

The menu (pdf) at Shanti is pretty big, including wine, beer, appetizers, Tandoori, seafood, chicken, lamb, vegetarian, rice, flat bread, and desserts. You can specify how hot you want each item, which is nice for pansies like me. I was pretty overwhelmed with all of my choices, but B and LF were happy to help me decide.

As an appetizer, B ordered the vegetable samosas. You can't really go wrong with a fried pocket filled with potatoes and peas. I was very pleased with the samosas.

LF suggested that I order the butter chicken (in cashew sauce), and it was an excellent suggestion. As she said, it was almost like a dessert chicken, since the cashew sauce was so thick and rich. The chicken and sauce were perfect when paired with the basmati rice.

LF ordered the chana masala (chick peas with Indian spices and seasoned sauce). She asked for no spiciness, but the order was mixed up with another table's order, and we originally ended up with extra hot chana masala. The actual flavor was delicious, but after 2 bites, I was sweating and couldn't palate any more. Luckily a waiter offered to bring us another bowl of chana masala, this time mild. Again, perfect with the basmati rice.

B ordered the aloo vindaloo (potatoes in a tangy, sharp sauce), and told me it was best if I didn't try it, because it was such a hot dish. B loves hot and spicy things, and it was even clearing her sinuses and making her sweat. But she powered through it like a champion!

In addition, B ordered garlic naan and LF ordered plain naan, both of which were fresh and doughey and delicious. I'm sure that the naan is best when served fresh. Not only was the flat bread delicious, but it helped counteract some of the extreme spiciness of the other dishes.

B and I each ordered Kingfisher beer, which is apparently the world's #1 selling Indian beer. I'd be interested to find out if there's much of a difference between Kingfisher and Budweiser, cuz it tasted pretty much the same to me! But, you know, it was imperative to our Indian food experience.

My only complaint was the price of the food. Each main dish was about $13-$15. I do understand the need for independent restaurants to charge a little more for their food, but when I left Shanti, I didn't feel like the meal was worth that much money. But, as I mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of Indian food in general, so perhaps Shanti is best for people who know they love authentic Indian cuisine.

My experience at Shanti in 3 words: spicy, pricey, cilantro

Until next time,
Anna

On a mission

Last night, my roomie (who I shall refer to as B) and ladyfriend (who I shall refer to as LF) invited me to eat at a local Indian restaurant. I'd never even thought about eating there, since I was pretty sure I don't like Indian food. But, I like trying new things, so I took them up on their offer. Over dinner, we got to talking about all the restaurants in Bloomington, and how we wanted to eat at all of them. And so the idea of a Bloomington Restaurant Tour was conceived (you know, in our mental wombs).

So, 2009 will be the year of eating at as many Bloomington restaurants as possible. My goal is to blog about each experience so that my faithful readers can get a taste (hardee harr harr) of the experience as well.

Let's eat!