New Indian grocery leads us back to Shreeji

[Robin Garr]

New Indian grocery leads us back to Shreeji

Shreeji's Delhi chaat, an iconic Indian street-food dish, piles sweet, savory, tangy and crunchy toppings over a base of flat wheat crackers.


Back in the ‘90s, I lived for a while on New York City’s Lower East Side. It was quite an experience for a Louisville boy, and one of the best things about it was my proximity to Indian Restaurant Row.

That’s what we called the block of Second Street between First and Second avenues, anyway, and the name fit: Every single storefront on the south side of the block housed an Indian restaurant, and they were all good. Their menus were all similar, prompting the rumor that they all shared the same kitchen. Doubtful, I know, but it seemed right.

Now, Louisville is not New York City, but it crossed my mind the other day that we’re kind of, sort of developing our own Indian Restaurant Row. It’s not as dense as New York’s, and there’s no question of a shared kitchen. But hey! Six Indian culinary establishments – four restaurants and two groceries – in a three-mile stretch of Hurstbourne Parkway isn’t bad in a city where we once had to drive to Cincinnati to get Indian food.

I was particularly happy to see Jay Hind (rhymes with “wind,” not “mind”) open a spacious grocery this month in the Hurstbourne strip where Walmart used to be. (1941 S. Hurstbourne Parkway, 742-2025, http://facebook.com/jayhindlouisville.) It was fun, and I scored a four-pound bag of whole-wheat atta flour for just $3.99, so I can make a batch of roti bread.

I was glad the friendly guy behind the counter pointed it out for me, because I was pretty much lost among all the intriguing, mysterious items on the shelves. I think I know a lot about Indian food, but I get lost in an Indian grocery, as I do with a lot of the menu at Shreeji Indian Vegetarian Street Food, which happily is right around the strip-mall corner from Jay Hind.

Perusing Shreeji’s menu without a search engine is not a trivial task. It is extensive, representing vegetarian cuisine from all over India. It offers more than 100 dishes in such broad categories as 30 South Indian choices and a full dozen Indian breads. Just about everything is priced at $9.99 or below, and that, my friends, is a deal. ...

Read the complete article on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/back-to-shreeji

You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/

Shreeji Indian Vegetarian Street Food
1987 S Hurstbourne Parkway
890-4000
Website and online ordering;
http://shreejistreetfoodky.site

How would you compare Jay Hind to Patel Brothers, Robin? Is it smaller? More or less organized?

[Robin Garr]

Mary Anne, to be fair, I should go back to Patel Brothers for a fresh look. It's been a while. But I thought it looked more spacious. The shelves were generously spaced out, though, which I thought was good for pandemic shopping, but it may reduce the amount of grocery items that the space can accommodate. I remember being impressed that there were SO MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF FLOUR! That's when I gave up and went to ask the guy for help.

[Robin Garr]

Also ... very well organized. One shelf for flour, one for beans, a produce cooler along one wall, etc.

Nice lead into the review regarding NY and Hurstbourne Indian food.

You mention 6 restaurant/store total and over a 3-mile stretch. I count 5 and within perhaps 1/2 mile:
1. Shalamar
2. Patel Bros.
3. Shreeji
4. Honest Indian
5. Jay Hind

What am I missing?

[Robin Garr]

What am I missing?

Bombay Grill on the north end!

It probably would have been even better to leave it off and count five from I-64 to Taylorsville, but the idea just popped into my head and I didn't question it.

What am I missing?

Bombay Grill on the north end!

It probably would have been even better to leave it off and count five from I-64 to Taylorsville, but the idea just popped into my head and I didn't question it.

The cluster of five is pretty impressive given the short distance between them. .... the city has come a long way from the Cincy drive for Indian food. That was before my time here.

[Robin Garr]

The cluster of five is pretty impressive given the short distance between them. .... the city has come a long way from the Cincy drive for Indian food. That was before my time here.

Yeah, from Honest to Shalimar is only 9/10 mile, including getting in and out of the parking lots at both ends. That would have been a better strip of five, but I went with what my mind gave me.