The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

Date: August 2021
Name: Jeera
Address: 7 Heleni HaMalka, Jerusalem 

Welcome back, loyal reader(s). It's been a while. Not because we've been siting around, waiting for the perfect curry to come our way, but because, well, you know - life. First, every single Indian place in Jerusalem closed. Almora, Ichikidana - gone. Next, our lives took some interesting twists and turns - new co-pilots, new passengers, and with them - new experiences. Culinary meanderings in London and New York, exposing new passengers to new flavors and textures, and going domestic.

Fortunately for us homebodies, 2020/21 was the year of staying home. We stared our fridge in the eye, spent 65.3% of our waking time wondering what to make for dinner, then stared at our fridge some more. In short, our lives were a never-ending meditation on what to cook for the next meal, spiced with the (more than) occasional ordering in.

This tedium lasted many months - but who's counting? Come to think of it, who's counting anything anymore? Does anyone even remember whether we've had more lock-downs or more elections?

Yet suddenly, D began hearing rumors that spiked her interest - a new Indian place in Jerusalem! As if this alone wasn't miraculous enough, she and her copilot (N) actually managed to sneak away, under the cover of darkness, on a reconnaissance mission to scope the place out and ensure it was blog-worthy.

Within a few hours, R's phone buzzed. The picture she saw piqued her curiosity - it seemed to be depicting samosas and dahl. She wondered where in the world D and N might be. She replied with a starry eyed emoji and waited patiently for more details. And they were soon to come, along with a five-star review. 

A few days later, D and R went for lunch, resurrecting their long-lasting tradition of celebrating their anniversary of friendship, adventure, and blog posts - which had been forgotten, swallowed by the aforementioned life and tedium. Some things change, some stay the same. 

Our destination was Jeera. A hole-in-the-wall kitchen just off Jaffa St. and close to the city's light rail. For such a small place, it had a decent number of tables and chairs set up on the sidewalk. We found a shady spot, making sure that D's tiny passenger was comfortable. Usually outside the scope of this blog, D also wanted to hear R's opinion of the chairs. A brief glance at the menu and we ordered the Double Thali Special. We were still sitting comfortably when our food arrived. 

Everything was delicious: a large platter of thali, malai kofta, naan, rice, and an assortment of colorful dishes. The samosas were amazing, just as they should be - crispy on the outside, soft and seasoned inside. YUM!! The spicy chickpeas went well with the rice, and a tangy yogurt and chutney nicely balanced sweetness to the spices. After such a long time without a decent Indian meal, we were in seventh heaven. Our one suggestion for improvement is to include rice with each entrée, rather than requiring it to be ordered separately.

In fact, we were experiencing such a curry-high that we kind of forgot ourselves. We began chatting with Tom, the proprietor. He's a young fellow who'd began doing deliveries out of his kitchen during the first lock-down, which grew into a restaurant, which opened its door four months ago. For the sake of journalistic integrity (and, let's face it, we were simply thrilled), we told him about our blog with all the humility worthy of a two-writer, half-reader, and long-ignored endeavor. We promised to return and spread the word!

Tom, thank you for being here. We wish Jeera success and pledge to do our part to support your amazing restaurant. Oh, and your chairs are awesome.

Rice Flour

A couple of years ago T came into our lives. A very sweet, helpful woman from south India that speaks malayalam and excellent English. She quickly learned all of my grandmothers recipes for mandel bread cookies, potato kugel, and eggplant parmesan. 

When she goes to the market, she makes a special stop at the asian food market and buys ingredients for her own food. Spices that remind her of home, vegetables and rice flour. An Indian cook, right at our doorstep, but not our own. 

One day, after hinting elegantlly that as much as I love my grandma's food, an Indian meal would be kinda awesome, T hosted us for a meal. I was just on a vegan not gluten diet and it was lent, so she was also vegan for the week. As soon as I entered the house, the smell of authentic Indian food was everywhere. Right after the hug to my grandma, I was immediately given a chair and a plate and the feast began. Appam Rice flour pancakes, spicy vegetable kurma stew, flatbread, curried potatoes and for desert Bengka Ubi Kayu a sweet tapioca cake. 

After the delicious meal, I was given recipes and tips on how to recreate the dishes myself, but I know it won't come out the same... 

After years of hunting for Indian food in Israel, it's nice that sometimes Indian food finds me. 

Thanks T, 

നന്ദി! 

Fidel and Vancouver

Fidel Castro died last night in Cuba.
People in Cuba will be mourning him for nine whole days while Cuban immigrants and refugees in Miami celebrate his death. The revolutionary's death has nothing to do with Indian food, but it did make me think about a meal I shared at a little Indian place in Vancouver last fall.

Last year I was visiting Washington state for a wedding. I flew across the world to attend what I knew was going to be a beautiful event and had a few days to explore the area after the wedding celebrations were over. Since I like crossing a border whenever possible, I chose to visit Vancouver which was just a couple of hours away from where I was staying. Traveling alone, a youth hostel seemed like the way to go and I ended up in a SameSun hostel in a good location of town. My day pack and myself found ourselves in a hip, young hostel, taking the last top bunk bed in a tight room of eight woman. Although it took me a while to convince myself to climb the ladder up to bed, it ended up as one of the most comfortable beds I've slept in while traveling! One of the perks at this particular hostel was free breakfast and daily organized tours of the area. During breakfast things already seemed a bit brighter and I decided to join the tour to Vancouver Island.
About ten of us set out that morning, the weather was beautiful as is the city. Everyone was nice, but it didn't take long for me to connect to a couple, about my age, who were traveling across the west coast for their honeymoon. They had been to many places I was planning on going so we had that in common too. The two of them set out from Miami and had been traveling for about two months. After the tour, we went to grab lunch at Crave India, the Indian place across from the hostel.


As we came in, the young man at the counter was busy chasing out a drunk who didn't want to pay or leave and was cursing up a storm. Once that was done, he was very helpful and nice. At this small, family run restaurant, you can get good food, enough vegetarian options and really delicious Naan at a fair price for travelers. We enjoyed a good meal, and good company.

Once we settled in, they told me about their recent wedding which they had planned for over a year.
The woman (let's call her Karen) shared her experience meeting the man's (let's call him Francisco) large Cuban family, getting used to their food and culture. They told me stories of how his family crossed the border to the United States, fleeing Cuba to find a better future. I learned about the "wet foot, dry foot" immigration and about the different ways people came from Cuba to America.
Francisco was very connected to his culture and heritage and was happy to share his families stories with me.

Tonight, when the world is talking about Fidel Castro's Cuba, my mind wanders to the small Indian restaurant in Vancouver and a young Miami couple on their honeymoon. What side of the border do they find themselves on and are they mourning or celebrating.

When you Wish upon a Star (in Beersheva)

Date: Aug. 11 2016
Name: Little India
Address: 15 Ringelblum, Beer Sheva 

Hello loyal readers! It's been a while - although I'm sure there has been Indian food in the intermittent years (!!), we've probably been too busy to share our witty and humorous culinary observations. This is our blog's third review of Little India, which is still going strong (the restaurant definitely so, the blog questionably so). The restaurant now occupies the entire deck and features both low-table and table-and-chair seating arrangements. The menu has pretty much stayed the same, but a while back they got rid of the lunch buffet. 

When we started this blog, R and I imagined that we'd become experts in Indian food. Culinary fanatics, highlighting the nuanced use of green cardamom, suggesting recipes for homemade paneer, and being asked to review Indian food world-wide (or at least Israel-wide). 

Alas - not only do we struggle to maintain this blog, but we have also fallen short of becoming world-renown foodies. We have come to accept that our blog is more about the journey, the story, the people  - and less about the actual food (although we know a killer samosa when we taste it, and will call out frozen vegetables wherever they may lurk).

Journeys can be divided into two types: those with a destination and those without. Most tangible journeys are of the former variety. You walk out your front door, and arrive at school. You board an airplane and arrive in Mongolia. You weave your way through town, crossing errands off your list. 

The latter journeys are much more interesting. Going without knowing where you will end up. Opening yourself to adventures, submerging yourself in the experience, accepting the flow and submitting to it. Going for the sake of going. Being for the sake of being. Growing into your role within the journey, negotiating the fine balance between personal space and that which is shared. 

Such a journey led me to share this amazing meal with an amazing person (two in fact, but one was just along for the destination-oriented ride). Here's to good food, good times, and journey-worthy companions. 

One, Two, or Three?

Date: July 3, 2014
Name: Namaste
Address: 10 HaTayelet, Mei Ami Beach, Ashdod

Life has taken us many places, but yet to Ashdod. The ladies are busy with numbers, picking one, a one, the one. R has chosen, while D is facing an impossible (and potentially hypothetical) choice: one, two or three?

This blog-post is dedicated to No. 3, which you might think would be indicative of success. Read on.

Curiously, it was not my idea to visit Namaste. I hadn't even realized there was Indian food in Ashdod. In fact, I hadn't realized Ashdod had more than a central bus station, Frenchies, and beach (and jellyfish).

From the outside, Namaste looked promising: the entire complex feels like it was transplanted from India (see pictures). The menu wasn't extremely extensive, but covered a lot. No. 3 preferred vegetarian, and D played along. We decided to share samosas, vegetable curry, and a rice dish with vegetables. We sat down, and I managed to drop my knife on the floor.

Meanwhile, they brought us papadum and delicious chutneys (mint-cilantro, tamarind, and a delicious pickled lemon). The samosas were good - the dough slightly thicker than usual, but fragrant and tasty. Luckily, I didn't need a knife to eat them.

Our main course was delivered half-way through the samosas - a bit too soon. Still waiting for a new knife. The vegetable curry was ... there is no other way to put it: the ultimate culinary transgression. I'm not even going into the (alleged) curry sauce, which was dark, but not even vaguely resembling curry as we know it. Brace yourself: the vegetables were green beans, corn, peas, and carrots. Yes, yes, frozen vegetables. In Israel, in the summer. There is no lack of fresh vegetables in our world - in fact, the menu promised garden veggies, hinting at something fresh and seasonal.

The waitress had said we could share the rice dish, and it was priced accordingly. This suggests that she is used to diners leaving the restaurant hungry. D is, by no means, a big eater. The rice was definitely not enough for two diners. It featured rice (duh), vegetables (see above), a few raisins, and cashews. The seasoning was far from anything noteworthy. D found herself picking out the raisins and dousing the food in chutneys (not necessarily in that order).

To summarize the evening: The beach was lovely (even with jellyfish) and I finished my wonderful book. And I managed two solid naps on the bus ride. Let's leave it at that.

And the knife....? D got up, and swiped a new knife from another table.

Lassi and Tents and Rain, Oh My!

Date: Oct. 31, 2013
Name: Little India
Address: 15 Ringelblum, Beer Sheva 

While R and I work extremely hard to maintain this blog (and the others), the other half of our Quartet does not always prioritize our culinary adventures. Once in a while it works out... This time around, we were heading towards an amazing vacation. To celebrate N's 32nd (while denying D's 32nd and R's impending 32nd) we decided to head down south. For years, N has wanted to stay at a particular desert tent, while D is generally in love with the Makhtesh Ramon (and rocks).

We left Thursday afternoon, to maximize our time down south, and drove through Be'er Sheva. Of course, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to stop for some Indian nosh. The other M met us, and we dined on samosas and split a few other dishes. Everything was delicious - and we even had leftovers. Stuffed, we headed back on the road to beautiful, quiet Mitzpe Ramon. 

While the vacation started out on a delicious note, it is worth sharing some experiences from the rest of our adventure. Our Friday hike took us into a sand storm, followed by rain and lightening, which all somehow cleared up by the time we returned to the car. On Saturday we couldn't find a flood, but did end up in a second rainstorm. Soaked almost to the bone, by the time we returned there was a humongous rainbow across the sky. This is D's attempt at taking a panoramic picture, featuring the rainbow (L) and sunset (R). 

Goodbye, Ichikidana

Date: Sept. 27, 2013
Name: Ichikidana
Address:  Mahane Yehuda, Jerusalem 

Featured on this blog before, Ichikidana was a Jerusalem gem. Decently priced, varied  menus, vegan/vegetarian, and delicious. A few months back, I'd interviewed the owner, Lehava, for a pilot radio story about Jerusalem eateries who serve kosher food, yet refuse to pay the rabbinate for a certificate. 

At that time, Lehava had told me she was closing, but swore me to silence. Rent had become too much, and she preferred to continue cooking as a catering service. She hadn't given me an exact date. One warm Friday, R and I spontaneously decided to head over for lunch. Lo and behold, a sign announced it was their last day. 

We had samosas and shared some deliciousness. Our spontaneous lunch meant no camera, but believe us, the food was amazing. We wish Lehava the best of luck in all her future endeavors, culinary and otherwise!  

Food Truck Makes Aliya

Date: July 18, 2013
Name: Food Truck (Season of Culture)
Address:  Mahane Yehuda, Jerusalem 

Life in Jerusalem keeps getting better..... The summer is chock full of cultural events, some reoccurring and some one-time events. This summer featured an import of sorts - a food truck. A common sight in many American cities, but not very common in this neck of the woods. Even the more third-world version, street food, doesn't really exist here - although we have dozens of felafel stands, these are established institutions cooking in (hopefully) clean, supervised kitchens. 

The Jerusalem Season of Culture keeps the surprises coming, and this last summer a truck was revamped into a diner on wheels. It made the rounds, stopping at playgrounds, public parks, and different neighborhoods, each time offering a simple dish. The truck offered non-dairy and/or meat, both kosher and halal, served by a local celebrity - all at very low cost (25 NIS), drink included.

One of the first nights, T and I went out to taste Indian food. The dish was simple but tasteful. Masala dosa topped with potatoes. Yum. The lighting, on the other hand, left much to be desired, so the picture isn't that great.

Southern Comfort Food

Date: April 4, 2013
Name: Little India
Address:  15 Ringelblum, Beer Sheva 

After the meal at Tandoori, I needed a positive experience. I was hosting D, a friend from the United States, who has been anonymously featured on this blog before. She had spent a few years in Be'er Sheva, and was heading south to visit her old stomping grounds. We decided that I'd join her later in the day, and we'd visit Little India, which is probably as good a reason as you need to move to (or at least visit) Be'er Sheva. 

We arrived for the lunch buffet, which included amazing dishes: red lentils, green lentils, pakora, two kinds of rice, a cooked vegetable stew, and a not-too sweet desert that tasted like malt-o meal (in a good way). And of course fresh vegetables (because this is Israel...)

The price was decent: 42 NIS, and the food was simply delicious. I had to go back for seconds, it was so good. We left, full and happy, and boarded the bus for the 1.5 hour ride home. If you're going to spend 3 hours commuting, it better be for such a great meal.

Tandoori for Two

Date: April 2, 2013
Name: Tandoori
Address:  Zamenhof 2, Tel Aviv (Dizengoff)

My dinner partner suggested this place and made a reservation, so I went with the flow. I arrived earlier, and realized that this place is way fancier than I am used to. Less so in the middle of the week, but still. 

I'd gone out the previous night with N to eat meat - we split a burger and Moroccan meat-filled cigars, so tonight I was going to be veggie. Gotta keep up appearances.

As loyal readers of this blog know, I judge eateries by their samosas. I decided to order a few appetizers in lieu of an entree, while my dinner partner ordered some form of curry lamb he loved from his days abroad. The waiter came, I ordered samosas, and asked about a lentil dish. The waiter recommended pakora, so I agreed. Bad move. I also ordered the Delhi salad. 

Our food arrived. The samosas were great - crispy, flavorful, amazing. But the pakora was just more fried goodness (or badness), that couldn't compete with the samosas. The salad was largely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, with some lettuce, oily with a lot of pepper. 

The samosas were the shining moment, the chutneys were good. But what sort of waiter recommends pakora when  I just ordered samosas?? 

Lessons learned: 1) Don't always go with the flow. 2) Always study the menu beforehand, especially if you are a picky eater. 

Bigger lesson learned: Don't judge people based on the restaurants they pick. 

India, Paris, and Jerusalem Oh My!

Date: July 4 & 5, 2012
Name: Mousseline Ice Cream
Address: HaEshkol 6, Mahane Yehuda, Jerusalem

Last winter, your truly met up for a 10-day adventure in Paris. Between the picturesque neighborhoods, staying warm, and maxing out our museum passes, we made a point of stopping and tasting things everywhere we went-especially baked goods.

Unfamiliar tastes, aromas, and textures put us in seventh heaven. We especially fell in love with macaroons. To the extent that we thought to sue Manischewitz for mis-guiding generations of innocent Jewish children into thinking that a macaroon is a little unleavened lump of coconut shreddings. You may be wondering: Paris? Macaroons? Why are you wasting my time with non-Indian food blah blah? Be patient, reader(s).



Macaroons in Paris, in the Christmas market near Sacre Coeur church (Montmartre)
This past week was crazy here in Jerusalem. Our good friend J was getting married and on Wednesday, we and M accompanied him as he looked for clothing for the wedding. We started at 3:30 and what felt like 175 years later, we'd gone through the Old City, downtown, and found ourselves in the shuk. It's unclear who was getting more impatient, us or J. Meanwhile, M had gone home. Being an ice cream fanatic, J beelined to Mousseline. After a round of scrumptious ice cream (grapefruit-basil, who would have thought?!?!), we went for round #2: macaroons.



Macaroons in Jerusalem. From left to right: vanilla, saffron, masala.
We chose three: masala, vanilla, and saffron. Thus, this becomes blog worthy. We ate the masala one first, savoring each morsel. It was spiced nicely, not too strong and the almonds were not overwhelming. We drank some water to cleanse our palettes (isn't that what sorbet is for?) and moved onto the vanilla. R was more impressed than D, the almond was a little too strong, but the real vanilla flavoring was clearly there. Lastly, the saffron macaroon. D took the first bite. At first, nothing. Then, a few seconds later, WOW. There are not words to describe this cookie. It tasted like a flower, like a day full of sunshine, like a million dollars, like an exploding comet or imploding star. WOW. D could barely contain herself and waved her hands, R's eyes lit up. J failed to fully appreciate the flavor, oh well.

The next day, D and M returned to the market and sat down in Mousseline. M ordered 3 macaroons: raspberry, passion fruit and masala. She enjoyed them all. D found the passion fruit right on, while the raspberry was a little weak. Overall: Yum. We're always happy to re-live some Paris fun, and always thrilled for bloggable food adventures.

Travel Hell and Indian Heaven

Date: May 31, 2012
Name: United Airlines
Address: Flight #90, aisle seat between Newark and Tel Aviv.

After successfully packing, donating, and recycling my belongings (thanks to everyone who helped!), and after holding a lovely going away gathering, one challenge remained: getting to the airport and surviving 3 connecting flights between Washington, DC and Tel Aviv, Israel.

The taxi driver carried my bags from my doorstep, American curb-side check-in didn't weigh my bags or charge me for the second one, and the airport helper wheeled me through security, including an x-ray of my cast. I even dozed off and had an awesome nap. But one hour before take-off, my first flight was cancelled. Back into the wheelchair to re-claim my bags and re-book my flight. I was re-routed on United, which elimiated one connection and got me in earlier than originally planned. The United agent weighed my bags (48 and 49 pounds, thank you very much), charged me ($70, ouch), and informed me there is only a middle seat and no hope for a vegetarian meal. Oh well.

Thanks to the airport helpers and other passengers, I made it on board (aisle seat, cast karma strikes again!) and fell asleep. I woke for dinner, but no veggie meal. Even the salad had fish in it! I'm already suffering, what's a little more? I went back to sleep, and woke later to find a vegetarian snack box on my tray. Two bites of quinoa, roll, and vegan cookie. Yum. Back to sleep.

I woke up with 2:45 hours to go and decided to watch "3 Idiots," which is Bollywood's highest grossing film. I'd heard about it through my internship at OEC, when we'd talked about putting these chairs into an exhibit about Indian Americans. As I watched, breakfast was served. As if my karma was feeling guilty, the vegetarian option turned out to be Indian food! Rice with curried vegetables and channa masala.

I was in Indian heaven. As I was the last passenger to de-plane, I had exactly enough time to finish watching the film. A lovely ending to a horrible travel experience. No pictures because my camera was in the overhead compartment and anyways, the steward had taken my crutches.

Hobbling to the Himalayas

Date: May 30, 2012
Name: Himilayan Heritage
Address: 2305 18th Street NW. Washington, D.C. 20009

In the interest of keeping things interesting, I broke my foot right before graduation and learned that my health insurance had expired much, much earlier than I thought (thanks, mom). As if life wasn't difficult enough, I decided to move home earlier than planned. Thus, I had 5 days to pack, say goodbyes, and wrap up 2 years of life in Washington, DC. All on crutches and in 90% humidity. Not fun.

After sending my housemates to the post-office three days in a row, I decided to go on my own. The post office near me wasn't accepting international packages (anyone detect a theme here??), so I (literally) hopped on the bus, and headed to the post office on 18th and Kalorama St. NW.

After being assured it was only 1 block from the bus stop (more like 4 blocks), and without a drop of shade on either side of the street (seriously, is the world out to get me?!?), I finally made it. I finished my business there, and headed out starving. Luckily, Himilayan Heritage was right across the street. Even luckier: I had a Google Offer.

Beautiful decor--the waitor took pride in telling me that Nepal is the homeland of Buddha.

I was alone, although it was lunch time. I ordered a mango lassi, paneer pakora, vegetarian samosas, mas ko daal, and partha. A lot of food, but my order had to top $30 for the coupon to apply.

Before I even ordered, a plate with puffed rice and spiced beans arrived, which evoked the mixture described at the beginning of The Namesake (with beans in lieu of peanuts).

The lassi was thick and was an excellent soother. The samosas were excellent, although the dough was a bit salty.

The mint and tamarind chutneys were absolutely delicious; the potato-red onion mixture was spicier.

The paneer pakora was delicious, with delicate spices batttered and fried around ghee. Two filled me up, and the rest made an excellent lunch the next day (with the second samosa). The daal was great, made with black lentils and delicately flavored. But I was already full. I packed the leftovers, and enjoyoed dinner and lunch the next day.

Indie in Philly

Date: April 30, 2012
Name: Minar PalaceAddress: 1304 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

As my date of departure looms near, I'm trying to see as many of my US friends as possible. Last week my good friend DH was visiting the east coast, and we spent the day together in Philly. I hadn't seen DH in over a year, and it was quite exciting. We met in the Amtrak station, and after a quick strategizing session (thank you free wifi), we headed to our destination: Minar Palace.

The decor is quite nice, albeit somewhat on the dark side. We opted to sit by the windows, mostly for the blog's sake.
We went for the buffet ($9.95 + tax), because we were both pretty hungry and it had sufficient vegetarian options. As an investigative eater, I'm always motivated to taste as many things as possible!

The vegetarian options including naan, rice (with cloves), samosas, saag paneer, aloo baingan, dal tadka, mint chutney and tamarind chutney. There was also a small salad bar with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, plain chickpea, raita, and more, including pickled mango.
Yum! We wiped our plates clean and went back for seconds (and thirds). The saan paneer looked like chunky homemade henna, but tasted amazing. The aloo baingan was also good, mild flavors. The dal tadka was a little spicym with strong tumeric flavoring. The samosa were good, although I've had more flavorful ones elsewhere. But the textures were quite good: a soft inside and crispy wrapping. The pickled mango was a little too spicy and overwhelmed the palette. The chutneys were superb.
The buffet had 2 dessert options: rice pudding (D) and mango ice cream (yours truly). We were both super happy with our choices. The mango ice cream was creamy without being too heavy--a great ending to our meal.

What's for lunch?

(At the Academy of Natural Sciences)

Money & Politics: Samosas DC-Style

Date: April 14, 2012
Name: Rolls on Rolls
Address: Around town, Washington, DC

Today was Occupy DC's day to shine: the Corporate Personhood Solutions working group held its much anticipated conference about how citizen movements can make getting money out of politics the issue in elections. I'd been involved in organizing the conference, and was excited for each new confirmed speaker, each new RSVP, and each logistical triumph. Yet nothing (I repeat, nothing) could beat the lunch plan: Indian food by Rolls on Rolls. Forget constitutional amendments, forget small-contribution campaigns, and forget citizens. Just give me a crispy samosa, an explosion of flavors, and, of course, a reason to blog.

From an organizational standpoint, food trucks are a great way to feed conference-goers. The truck pulls up, people eat, the truck moves on, people go back inside. Let's pretend that this is what happened, and focus on the food.

Ties on a weekend and a day of politics--you're in DC!

I tasted two types of samosas - one was flatter and doughier, and reminded me of a borekas, and was, frankly, disappointing (even--especially?-- after a week of dough-less Passover food!) The other was the typical tetrahedron with crispy, thinner dough, which I enjoyed more. The chutneys were quite spicy, the darker one tasted like cilantro-tamarind.

Chutney and lassi are made of natural foods, but are not natural people and thus (should) lack constitutional rights. But they can probably give to a Super-PAC.

From there, the meal went downhill. I essentially ate over-spiced defrosted veggies (peas, corn, and carrots, spruced with an occasional green bean), topped with cabbage and tucked into flat-bread masquerading as naan. Had I checked the menu, I would have learned that there are three vegetarian sandwiches, but only one known as "veggie." My meal was what they called "mixed veg," while the others are Paneer (described as Indian Mozzarella cheese) and Chana Masala. Indeed, there was one cube of paneer in my sandwich, and it was probably the highlight. The mango lassi had a burnt taste, very strange.

Find the frozen veggies.

My conclusion: The conference was the bride, and lunch was the bridesmaids. The mediocre meal just made the rest of the conference seem that much more awesome. Good job team!

New York, New York

Date: Presidents Day Weekend, 2012
Name: Curry Heaven
Address: 513 Grand St, Brooklyn, New York

A trip to New York isn't complete until you've seen your friends and eaten good food. According to these criteria, the weekend was a smashing success. Our last night there, we decided (OK, I strongly directed the decision) to seek Indian food. Per Chris's suggestion, we headed to Curry Heaven.

Last time you saw this duo, they were likely in diapers

The menu made some pretty strong suggestions, including dishes to try before you die. We ordered vegetable samosa, baguni, saag panir, chana masala, and aloo matar gobi. Papadams were delivered to our table with 3 chutneys: tamarind with a hint of cinnamon, red with onion, and jalapeno, both extremely spicy.

High Expectations

Chutneys - colorful, flavorful, and spicy!

The samosas were good. The potatoes were firm and the dough was thick and flavorful (if we had a nickel for every time I used those adjectives, this blog make the NYTimes best-seller list), but I was disappointed by the (frozen?) corn and green beans inside.

Yum

The baguni was quite good, but don't rush over to Brooklyn in anticipation of the Rapture. Not exactly as amazing as promised. The gobi was the ultimate let-down, utterly flavorless. The saag panir was good, and we might even re-order it in the future, although its excessive creaminess was questionable.

Baguni

Blogger's Special - a surprise (and surprisingly cold) dessert

The ambiance wasn't anything to blog about, although the television played Indian video clips, including one of synchronized singers in the ocean. All in all, a good time, although next time I'll subway over to Manhattan.

Kohinor

Date: January 10th

Name: Kohinor

Where: Crown Plaza Hotel, Jerusalem

This is a Groupon world. I don't often succumb to the temptation of fish pedicures or winter hats that have a special compartment for my earphones, but when a coupon for Indian food comes along I cannot miss such an opportunity.

The coupon was for a half price buffet lunch at Kohinor, the Jerusalem branch of the Tandoori restaurants. It's located in the Crown Plaza hotel.
Since this was a lunch buffet, I could only go on my day off and with someone who has flexible working hours. Y was the perfect candidate, and he has spent a significant amount of time in India to actually know something about their cuisine.

We met at the entrance to the hotel and felt a little out of place in such a nice hotel lobby. Not our usual atmosphere.

The place was a mix of hotel guests, people who looked like business men and random people, couples and friends. not full but not empty. We sat at a table set for two and a pitcher of water and fresh naan were served to the table. The naan was slightly doughy but obviously freshly made. We were both hungry, and we hit the buffet.

A salad bar that seemes a little out place came first with pepper salad, cabbage salad and spicy carrot salad which were not very indian but fairly good. Then there was the Lentil soup which was, well, Yellow. Yoav guessed that there was a lot of cornstarch. possibly. Wasn't bad but not special.

The main dishes gave an option of meat or vegetarian. The Chicken Tika and the rest of the meat looked good, but since both Y and I are of the vegetarian pursasian s we tasted only the veg dishes.

The Pakora was crispy and good. The rice was seasoned with cumin seeds which was good (though I dare say the cookie goddess would comment about the cumin seeds being too strong). The dahl was very seasoned with cumin and coriander. Each were quite good, but together they were a little bit too much. Y would have liked plainer rice to accompany the meal.

In addition there were potatoes which were spicy and good and carrots and peas which tasted canned. The idea of a fancy restaurant serving canned food was dissapointing. The dips offered - Sweet chutney, spicy orange sauce and spicy lemon dip. All three were good, not too spicy. Y - not as spicy as you would get in India.

The desserts were cubed pineapple and melon. and a sweet farina pudding. Since this was a kosher meat restaurant we couldn't enjoy lassi's and real rice pudding, but the farina was a nice end to the meal. There was also hot water, tea and mint leaves and some coffee, which really did not go with the idea of an Indian meal. No Chai offered, unfortunately. :(

During the meal, between catching up and updating each other on life etc. Y told stories about meals he'd eaten in India - Northern breakfast of deep fried pancake and Southern meals at peasants houses. He mentioned that most Indians are not meat eaters, which made us feel that much more authentic.

It's nice to go out to a restaurant in the middle of the day. The food was plentiful and tasty, but I was glad I didn't pay full price to eat it.

And the search continues!

Bloggers by Land, Sea, and Air

Date: December 31, 2011
Address: Seat 33H, somewhere between Paris and Toronto.

We're intrepid bloggers-eaters, willing to travel great distances for good food, ahem... for the sake of research. We're proud that our blog features Indian meals in Israel, the USA (Paris, coming soon!), consumed together and separately. Over the summer we broke the land barrier by featuring Indian food at sea, and now we're proud to break that barrier again: Indian food in the sky!

R and I met for an amazing 10-day adventure in Paris, which was full of tasty baguettes, flower-flavored cookies, delicious cheese, less-than-delicious wine, roasted chestnuts, and of course, pain au chocolat.

I left before R, leaving her to additional adventures. I boarded the plane, and prepared myself for the long trip ahead. Soon after takeoff, my vegetarian lunch arrived - samosas! There was also a red sauce with vegetables, but it wasn't anywhere near Indian.

Taking Indian food to new heights!

Air Canada meals tend to be hit-or-miss, and often feature Indian-esque dishes. This one was a great hit. Obviously, the dough wasn't anywhere near crispy, but the filling was a lovely mush of potatoes and peas that was flavored quite well. With the rice, it was a perfect meal.

A quick peek around revealed that the regular meal options were chicken or fish. So ten points (or douze points) for the veggie meal actually showing up. The one downside: everyone else's meal came with a cookie. Boohoo.

The glaring absence of the cookie

Almora

Date: June 3, 2010
Name: Almora
Address: Moshav Even Sapir

Professional food journalists make sure to jot things down in a small pad. When we go on our foodventures, D always writes an organized entry with the place, prices and other blog-worthy details. Alas, this pad was lost and recently re-surfaced, like money in last year's winter coat.

This was a special day - the next day, D would board an airplane heading to the United States for graduate school. Almora is located in Even Sapir, a small moshav just outside Jerusalem. Technically "out of town," we decided to make a day out of it, and include a visit to a small spring called Ein Ashkaf. We invited M, our co-adventuring friend and sometime driver, to join us. We began by dipping our feet in the water before heading out for lunch.

Feet. Water. 'Nuf said.

We arrived mid-afternoon, and sat inside to escape the heat. But the pop music from the radio didn't sit well, so we moved outside to enjoy the beautiful day from beneath the grape-vine covered porch.The tables had colorful tablecloths and the view of the Jerusalem hills was gorgeous (as usual). We were the only people there.

After a few minutes, the owner/chef/waiter approached our table with menus, recommendations, and plenty of chit-chat. We ended up ordering samosas which were OK, and crispy wada which was good. The bahargia was, as D described it, "eh" (read: not so exciting). The soy was watery and the vegetable dossa lacked peasauce. Appitizers cost 50 NIS and thali cost 47 NIS. Everything (besides the view) was hovered right beneath mediocre. After the meal, R and M ordered the traditional chai. Unfortunately it was not as sweet as we would have liked, but still quite good.

Chai is for Lovers

Although the food was not as fabulous as expected, the atmosphere was very nice and welcoming and we felt like we were being hosted. The portions were generous and the owner/chef/waiter sat with us and told us about the place. Almora is open only when he's in the country. For the past ten years, he's traveled to India twice a year, where he studies and teaches Indian philosophy. Upon his return, Almora opens his doors. His lease on the structure was coming to an end, and he wasn't sure whether he'd re-sign the lease.

Since then, Almora has indeed closed. Culinary-wise, perhaps not a big loss. But we would recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxed eating experience with a good view (and interesting conversation with the owner about anything in the world, east or west.). In fact, the restaurant seemed like a lovely place for weddings (not that we're looking...). We're glad we had a chance to eat there, and will continue hunting down Indian food world-wide!

Samosas for the 99%

Name: Himalayan Heritage
Address: 2305 18th St. NW, Adams Morgan, Washington, DC

The last two months took me from busy to busier as I became involved in OccupyDC. While life as the 99 percent most definitely isn't honey, there are some awesome kickbacks. First, I've met amazing people. Second, I had fascinating and (mostly) positive mind-blowing conversations with people from all walks of life. Third, I got to experience DC nightlife (read: meetings at the 24/7 McDonalds).

Meetings typically ran until midnight, after which I'd head home with my committee friends. Although we live in the same neighborhood, there's enough of a distance between our homes that we could either take separate buses/bike, or extend our time together by walking (not barefoot, sans snow) home (uphill, one way).

One night we picked up Indian take-out from Himalayan Heritage. I wasn't particularly hungry and had eaten Indian the day before. Nonetheless, I'm always ready for samosas and always excited for an opportunity to blog.

The samosas were delicous. The dough was a bit thick, but it was quite crispy and the filling was properly seasoned with cumin and coriander seeds. It was too late, and I was too tired to remember much more. But I'd definitely eat a Himalayan Heritage samosa again!

Thumbs up from DecCom!