by johnlannon » Sun Feb 03, 2008 2:03 am
Decided to try Sitar tonight as, when we walked by, it was open. This seemed like reason enough. Apparently, today was their first day. However, the staff did not seem at all unprepared.
The Place:
The dining room is bright, clean and fairly minimal. Nice, muted orange/yellow paint on the walls. Very open and airy. Ugly carpet, but that's probably cheaper than hardwood or finished concrete (do restaurants get some sort of insurance break for installing ugly carpet? There must be some reason for the prevalence of the stuff).
The Service:
Service was great. Especially considering this was opening day. Staff was friendly, efficient, mildly chatty, but not annoying. They seemed genuinely concerned that we were enjoying our meal. Quick water refills were provided. Desired spice levels were respected.
The Food:
The meal started with Maysoor Marsala Dosa, a crepe-pancake made from lentil and rice flour batter and flash-grilled on a super-hot griddle. Stuffed with a spice and potato mixture and served with what could be described as an Indian-spiced hummus (not sure what it's called) and Sambar, a lentil-based soup with chile, carrots and potatoes. The Dosa is huge. We managed to finish it, mainly because it contained so much crunchy, potatoey, spicy goodness that there was no other option. Belts were loosened a notch at this point.
Next were pretty standard dishes: Aloo Gobi and Lamb Karahai Palak (or something resembling that string of letters), which seemed to be the same thing as Lamb Saagwala.
The Aloo Gobi was well prepared. Delicious. Steaming hot. Adequately spiced. Probably a bit more tomato than the other Indian restaurants in the area use. It was well-cooked, so the potatoes were quite soft, while the cauliflower was just right (not too soft), which would seem to indicate that this was assembled to order. While the Aloo Gobi was not markedly better than Kashmir's or Shalimar's, it was every bit as good.
The Lamb dish was well above average. Creamy spinach, with visibly discrete slice onions and green bell peppers. The green peppers were still crunchy. The lamb was lean and fall-apart soft. The lamb was mildly lamby, but far less mutton-y than what I've had elsewhere. Absolutely delicious.
All in all, the entrees stood above those equivalent dishes at other area Indian restaurants. Discrete textures and flavors seemed to suggest a made-to-order kitchen.
This is an excellent addition to The Bardstown Road dining corridor. Prices are competitive with Shalimar, Kashmir and Royal India. The ambiance has them all beat (although the nice, new Royal India is a close second). And the food, based on this one visit is excellent. Everyone there seemed to know what they were doing.
I think these guys have their act together. Hopefully they'll stick around. They don't seem to have blown their wad on the build out, so there's a good chance they'll make it to that coveted one year milestone. I know it's a tough location, but I'll be back (maybe tomorrow for the $6.99 lunch buffet). And I encourage everybody here to go out and try it as soon as possible. Park a few blocks away and walk; you'll have some calories to burn off.
