167810 Wed May 28 10:48:03 -0700 2003 19 14 Washington DC & Baltimore Area 0 897501 Throwing this question out to the chowhounders: what is the best Indian restaurant in the area and why? Also, do you have a dish that you order at an untried place to "gauge" how good it is? Thanks for your input! Wed May 28 10:48:03 -0700 2003 0 FoodieGrrl 1 897504 The only other Indian restaurant I've been to (in DC) is Bombay Club, and based on food and a comfortable dining room, I choose Heritage India. Service is probably better at Bombay Club. Heritage India's food is excellent even if the service can range from . I've only been to the Glover Pk location and not yet patronized the Bethesda branch. I'm not much of a meat-eater but the meats I've sampled were moist, flavorful and well-prepared. The biriyani's are divine - but on the spicy-hot side. I'm more of a veg-head and I love their vegetarian thali sampler platter (which, when coupled with appetizers, is enough for TWO people although waiters always push you to order more). By nature, Indian veg tends to be "mushy" - so eating Indian veg that hasn't gone over the mushy flavorless edge is one of my indicators of good Indian cooking. The Glover Pk dining room is nicely appointed and very soothing - everyone I've taken there always comments that they really like the atmosphere. Wed May 28 11:23:52 -0700 2003 897501 0 valert 2 897506 In addition to the tried and true indian dishes that you can find in 99% of the Indian restaurants in DC, Heritage India also has several dishes that you never see anywhere else. Outside of my roommates parents Indian cooking (they are born and raised Indian) Heritage India serves some of the best Indian I've tried. I mean even their Dal kicks butt My dish to guage Indian restaurants is usually the Chicken Tikka Makhani - Chicken tikka in a tomato cream sauce Link: http://www.heritageindia.biz/menu_dinner.html Wed May 28 11:33:36 -0700 2003 897504 0 Tweaked 3 897510 I also tend to judge a place by the Chicken Tikka Makhani as well as Lamb Vindaloo. The Lamb Vindaloo at Heritage is the best I've tasted in DC. I used to think the Chicken Tikka Makhani at Bombay Palace (not to be mistaken with Bombay Club) was the best but they seem to have gone down in the last 2 years. I agree that Heritage is the best all around. One of the main reasons I love it is because it does fish and seafood well. Indian is not a cuisine that I have typically found does fish well but Heritage is an exception. Other than Heritage, I love Aditi in Georgetown, which serves wonderful food and is not nearly so stuffy as Heritage can be. I will usually just go there because it is less of a fuss. Wed May 28 12:22:40 -0700 2003 897506 0 elyhtak 4 897543 I'll have to second the vote for Aditi in Georgetown (closed for renovations, last I knew). I've been to Heritage India once for lunch. The daal was great, but my entree was merely okay. Maybe I picked the wrong thing, maybe I picked an off day. I'll certainly go back, though. There are also a string of Indian restaurants in Woodley Park on Connecticut Av. I'd like to try. I've been to one (I can't recall the name) for a quick bite -- some daal and a Kingfisher -- and it was very good. I've still been meaning to get to Bombay Palace too... /brian Wed May 28 16:00:57 -0700 2003 897510 0 NotBaker 5 897551 Aditi was closed for renovations a while back but has been back open for business for a few months now. It looks quite nice now, everything just looks and feels fresher, but the food and service are still wonderful as always. Wed May 28 16:54:36 -0700 2003 897543 0 elyhtak 3 897557 A food-wise acquaintance of mine who grew up in the U.S., but whose parents are from India has told me that the Indian professionals in this area (she is an M.D.) think Heritage India is the best Indian restaurant in the area, with a slight preference for the Bethesda branch. I have only ever been to the Glover Park place, and have never been disappointed. Wed May 28 17:10:36 -0700 2003 897506 0 zora 4 897558 I've heard the same, except that the folks I know prefer the DC branch... Do I've always enjoyed the fish at Heritage India. I also like being able to order half-orders of the vegetable dishes like okra with mango powder and eggplant in sesame sauce. Wed May 28 17:26:01 -0700 2003 897557 0 mouse 1 897516 Woodlands in Langley Park is a mind-blowing experience. A large cafeteria-type space, yet still fairly nice. The paper dhosa and mutter paneer was one of the best meals I've ever had. I would use these dishes to compare anything else to. Purely South Indian cooking, vegetarian. Lunch is buffet only, something I try to avoid whenever possible, so I only recommend it for dinner. They have another location in Fairfax, but I've never been. Wed May 28 13:03:43 -0700 2003 897501 0 Steve 2 897518 Steve: How does Woodlands compare with Udupi Palace across the street? I've only been to the latter, and folks I trust consistently tell me that Woodlands is great, but not quite Udupi quality. Wed May 28 13:09:37 -0700 2003 897516 0 Marty L. 3 897522 I've never been to Udupi. Supposed to be a tie, from what I've heard. Then again, so many go for the buffet which does not appeal to me. Wed May 28 13:26:59 -0700 2003 897518 0 Steve 2 897523 Specific location please? Is Langley Pk in VA? I'm a city-dweller who consistently gets lost driving to VA. But if this place has good dosas - it's worth finding! Wed May 28 13:35:50 -0700 2003 897516 0 valert 3 897534 The Langley Park, MD location is in a Shopping Center at the NW corner of University and New Hampshire. The paper dhosa is extra thin, crispy, and has no filling. Like a plate-sized ice cream cone. The Virginia location (I haven't eaten there)is next to the K-Mart on Jermantown Rd, I believe. The Maryland location is a much bigger operation. The 'scene' is surely more impressive in Maryland. Wed May 28 14:58:14 -0700 2003 897523 0 Steve 4 897570 Paper thin just means that it is paper thin and that makes it more crisp. It does not mean without filling. The one without filling is called Sada Dosa or just plain dosa. The one with the filling (or stuffing) is called Masala dosa. The same batter is also used in making Uthappam which looks like an omlet filled with chopped onions, cilantro and tomatoes. There are other variations such as Rava Dosa ( made with cream of wheat) and Mysore Dosa (very spicy) as made in the style served in the city of Mysore. Dosas are made out of fermented rice batter. Thu May 29 09:49:04 -0700 2003 897534 0 naruda 3 897554 If you don't want to go all over the 'burbs, you can get good dosae and idli at Amma Vegetarian Kitchen on M Street in G'town, just three blocks from Key Bridge. Udupi Palace's dosa and idli are excellent--but Amma is so convenient! And cheap... Once in a while, I go to Langley Park to the Indian grocery a few doors away from Udupi, to stock up on Indian condiments, pickles, spiced naan, hot mix, etc. On the weekends, there is a family who make/sell chaat. I buy some to take home. The sweets at the store are better than the ones sold at Udupi Palace... then I go to Udupi and get a dosa for lunch. Wed May 28 17:04:16 -0700 2003 897523 0 zora 2 897562 I wholeheartedly agree with Steve's Woodlands recommendation. If you see having a meatless meal (some can't), Woodlands is great. Udipi Palace, across the street, is very good too, but I prefer Woodlands by a nose. The only thing that I will add is that the lunch buffet (at either) is fantastic. Not at all your standard buffet fare. Dangit, I think I feel a craving coming on... Wed May 28 18:59:35 -0700 2003 897516 0 Chuy 1 897530 Near College Park, Maryland, on University Blvd., there's a vegetarian Indian place called Udipi Palace. It's amazing. They have a lunch buffet that's dirt cheap and rocks--and seriously, it's good even though it's a buffet, something you ordinarily wouldn't catch me saying. Wed May 28 14:32:54 -0700 2003 897501 0 Jill 1 897585 As others have noted Heritage of India is clearly the best in the area. In fact an early review of it by Phyllis Richman noted that it raised the bar in Washington for Indian restaurants. Even after several years the only other one that has come close is their own branch in Bethesda. The Langley Park restaurants are also very good in their own way, but they are different. Different experience, different style. Heritage is a place to take eight or so people to, sit at a round table, and work your way through the menu expecting exemplery versions of everything that you will taste. Their single best dish is tandoori shrimp in my opinion yet virtually everything is excellent. I had tandoori shrimp at Vama in London 48 hours after Heritage a year ago and thought Heritage every bit as good. The significance of this is that for some Vama is considered one of London' two or three best Indian restaurants. This in a country where chicken tikka masala is the "national dish." Thu May 29 16:17:37 -0700 2003 897501 0 Joe H. 1 897607 I feel like I've got to sneak in a plug for Punjab Dhaba in Loehman's Plaza on Rte 50 in Falls Church. It is the only hole-in-the-wall Indian that has food as good as the other heavy hitters mentioned here. I've heard others wax eloquent about it also. Very savory food, nothing too genteel here. Let's support the little guy! Fri May 30 15:18:27 -0700 2003 897501 0 Steve 1 897643 Heritage India is definitely the nicest experience. I've been to Glover Park twice and Bethesda once. But it's more of a Zagat's kind of place than a Chowhound place. I haven't seen anyone mention Minerva in Fairfax, which has the most interesting menu in the area. Not just northern and southern, but also Hyderabadi Indian dishes. Sun Jun 01 17:05:29 -0700 2003 897501 0 Ted