Date: November 9, 2011
Name: Heritage IndiaAddress: 1337 Connecticut Ave, Washington, DC
America is the land of sales. Except nowadays, instead of hunting through racks of clothing, we receive emails from Groupon and Living Social. These companies exist solely to mediate between consumers and vendors, who are willing to trade quantity of clients for quantity of cash flow. After listening to this Planet Money
podcast a while ago, I decided that I wouldn't participate in this mass squeezing any longer, unless it were for a place/service I'd genuinely consider frequenting again. In other words, gateway groupons.
As has been noted here
before, these deals are a great way to taste the local Indian fare. Thus, last spring I purchased a Groupon for Heritage India ($12 for $25 of food), which is located just south of DC's hopping Dupont Circle. As its expiration date approached, I finally went for lunch.
The lunch crowd doesn't exactly reflect the beautiful decor
The restaurant's front is quite dull. But step inside, and you'll be transported to India. The walls are covered with Indian art and family photographs. The columns are painted, there's a fountain at the entrance, and a large Buddha sits in the back overlooking the diners. The lunch buffet was open ($11.95), but my groupon limited me to the menu. I chose the vegetarian Begumi Platter ($20.95) and the vegetarian samosa (2 for $4.95).
Wave Hello to Buddha!
Samosas are my litmus test, and these passed with flying colors. Although the dough was a bit thick, it was delicious and the filling was amazing. The potatoes were finely cut, the coriander and cumin seeds exploded with flavor, the sauce was tangy and amazing. The samosas were beautifully presented on a plate alongside drizzlings of two chutneys (tamarind and yogurt). Just as I made a mental note about the small quantity of these, the head waiter came over and offered to bring more. With each bite, my hopes for the rest of the meals soared.
Yum. Simply Yum.
After wiping my plate clean, I was served lunch. The meal included four curries, rice, raita and a small salad. The first curry was tomato based curry with cheese cubes. This was flat-out disappointing. The curry itself tasted exactly (and I mean exactly) like Campbell's tomato soup (with a dash of coconut milk), and the cheese was unexciting. The second curry was almond based and included corn, green beans, and peas. It was quite good, and managed to disguise the fact that it included cinnamon, which was revealed by the lingering aftertaste. The third curry was a smashing success. It was spinach-based, with roasted corn and bits of fresh tomatoes. It was tangy without being overboard, and its flavors were unlike anything I've experienced in an Indian meal. The fourth was a black lentil dish, which carefully walked the fine line between subtle and dull.
The raita was perfect, and indeed helped clean my palette between the dishes. The salad, on the other hand, wasn't too great. It ranged from a brown spot on the tomato (the piece right on top!) to wilted leaves at the bottom. It did not feel freshly assembled. The service was great (if you like frequent visits from your waiter), and the ambiance was nice, although I'm sure evenings are a little calmer.
Charging $21 for this platter is a little excessive, no?
With tax and tip I ended up spending another $9, which brought my meal to a grand total of $21 instead of..... $28 (excluding tip). So, was it worth it? The awesome samosas didn't fully compensate for the mediocre and overpriced main dish. I could have probably saved myself the hassle of the groupon and gone for the buffet, assuming it offers enough vegetarian options.
