India by way of Chicago

You're sitting 30 to 40 feet away from the kitchen with your back to it when you HEAR your  dinner coming--it's sizzling that loudly. You smell the spice-laden steam wafting from it long before it actually reaches the table. Welcome to  Chicago's Indian dining scene!

India House, 59 W Grand Ave, Chicago

 If ever there were a single place where one can sample the huge variety of flavors and cuisines found on the Indian Sub-continent, it's probably here in Chicago's River North district. The menu, all 11 pages of it, lists 204 distinct items, "From simple tandoori cooking to the sophisticated food of the royal families."

There's Chaupati, "Bombay Street Fare," and Hyderabad Khana, described as  "Spicy and aromatic, characterized by the liberal use of aromatic spices...and named after a famous Indian city."

The India House staff is well aware that many Midwestern U.S. palates are not equipped to cope with the levels of spiciness so dear to traditional Indian cooking. The waitstaff will gladly recommend dishes that are mildly enough spiced for non-Indians and will ask the kitchen to tone down the heat for those of us who would like to try one of the more  traditional dishes. The tandoori entrees are especially recommended starters for the spice-shy among us; the very high heat of this traditional clay oven provides a crisp outer crust, yet relatively miost and tender interior that doesn't really need much seasoning.

(The tandoor was not at all what I'd expected; rather than the big barrel-like clay pot I'd envisioned, it resembles an ordinary steel oven. The pottery cooking vessel, more like a big washbasin than a barrel, is inside, surrounded by burning charcoal. The photo came together when the chef loaded in a big slab of naan while I watched.)

My single best recommendation for a first-time sampling of Indian food would be the "Tandoori Mixed Grill Special"--worthwhile just for the chicken and shrimp even if you eat nothing else. The lamb sheesh kebab and rogan josh, both consisting of cubes of meat marinated in exotic spices, may be a bit too spicy of first-timers but you won't know until you try. Ask your server for  small, complimentary dish of chilled yogurt on the side. It's a very effective "fire extinguisher" should you bite down on something too hot to handle.

If you order one of the combination dinners, it will probably come with a multi-compartment silver tray with a variety of sauces. The green is mint-based and works well with lamb. The sauce that looks like orange marmalade is fruit-based but packs a much heftier tang; it's still reasonably mild and worth a try. The blackberry-colored sauce is reasonably safe but red sauce is best described as "DANGEROUS."

India House started as a single restaurant in one of Chicago's Northwest suburbs; it now has five locations in the greater Chicago area, plus one in Rockford, Ill., and  another in Ft.Lauderdale, Florida. The Chicago River North location has luncheon buffets daily, but closes during the afternoon before re-opening for dinner at 5 p.m.

Bar prices are quite reasonable for a location this close to downtown.  Behringer Founders Estate Merlot is $8 the glass, $30 the bottle; there are some relatively comparable wines at $7-9 per glass. Pina Coladas, mojitos and similar drinks are generally $9.95; martinis go for $10.95.

Indian food for most of us may be an acquired taste, but India House is a very good place to begin cultivating that taste.

Raj Darbar, 2660 N Halsted, Chicago 

Location is the operative word here--in the heart of the busy "Northalsted" neighborhood about halfway between River North's India House and the large cluster of Indian/Pakistani/Lebanese restuarants along West Devon Ave. It's a rather plain storefront, perhaps 40 feet wide, with a small bar in front and a line of not-especially-comfortable booths along the opposite wall. That said, the options are many and varied, the food good, and the prices quite reasonable. Given the modest decor and modest prices, I'd be tempted to call it "India House Lite."

Raj Darbar has all the classic tandoori selections, curries, and lamb dishes you'd expect of an Indian restaurant but, whereas India House emphasizes the clay-oven entrees, Raj Darbar devotes much of its menu space to dinners from the Karhai, described as an Indian cast-iron wok. Karhai dishes are, according to the menu,   "Stir-fried and very low in fat and cholesterol." Chicken and kamb dishes prevail, but there are seven seafood options and half a menu page of vegetarian dishes.

I'm not comfortable basing a review on just one visit, but can safely say that this would be a good source of Indian food in the greater Lakeview neighborhood.

The West Devon Enclave

One of Chicago's greatest concentrations of ethnic restaurants--especially Indian, Pakistani and Middle-Eastern ones--is along West Devon Ave., roughly between Damen (2000 West) and Kedzie (3200 West.) Two that appear on the March AAdvantage Dining  roster  are Chopal Kabob and Steak, 2242 W. Devon, and Indian Garden, 2546 W. Damen. I haven't been able to try either one of them yet.

John is a member of AAdvantage Dining^SM, Hilton HHonors® Dining, Mileage Plus Dining^SM, Priority Club® Dining, and SkyMiles® Dining. 

Comments

[Lynn Seldon]

Yum....This place looks great!