Concord -More on Namaste North & South Indian Cuisine ???

[rworange]

In a post about another Indian restaurant, Kitchen Imp was quite enthusiastic about this restaurant mentioning they also have a great buffet. She likes it so much she drives from Berkeley to eat there:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/328541#1899223
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/327632#1893380

In the second post, she links to a 2004 Chronicle update about the restaurant.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/04/02/CCGN85UDDD1.DTL&type=food

The original 1999 review
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article...

Seems like a shame that it would get buried in other posts. It gets a few one sentence thumbs up on Chowhound. Any other fans of Namaste out there?

Namaste 1671, Willow Pass Road, Concord, CA 94520 Ph 925-687-7874

[family dog]

We're back, full and happy. Here's today's (9/25/06) eat-all-you-dare menu:

Hot/warm:
veg. samosas
mixed veg. pakoras
nan
papadams
basmati rice
veg. biryani
sambar
tandoori chicken
lamb kofta curry
channa masala
chicken maharajah
egg curry
fish kurma
chicken 65
dal
cabbage curry
eggplant curry

Cold/cool:
raita
lemon pickle
tamerind/mint/coconut/tomato chutneys
lettuce/cucumber/carrot
watermelon
canteloupe
orange slices

Sweets:
rice kheer
ras mali
mango soft ice cream

Had to try everything just to make sure the quality was as good as last time (last week). 'Twas.

[Melanie Wong]

Thank you, the cabbage curry, chicken 65, lemon pickle, and egg curry are calling me. (g)

[family dog]

Fortunately/unfortunately, in your list only the lemon pickle is a certainty -- as are most of the cold things and the soups(s - when the rasam is there, too), appetizers (some days samosas, some days hot idlis), and other basic side dishes such as channa masala, dal, tandoori chicken, etc. Personally, I prefer the dry okra to the cabbage, but I've never had a dish there I didn't like. We love being surprised by the combinations of dishes she offers; some old favorites, others new, novel, and delicious.

[family dog]

When I wrote "is a certainty" in the above reply to Melanie Wong's note, I meant "is certain to be on the daily buffet menu" - not that only those items were "a certainty" to be of high quality.

[Kitchen Imp]

Mmmm Chicken Maharajah! Wonderfully addictive. I've never had the egg curry -- never even saw it there before. How was it and what was it like?

[family dog]

Basically just whole hardboiled eggs in a (tomato-based?) curry sauce. I always find it hard to describe the flavors in her curries, because the balances are so subtle that even though every one is different it's hard for me to identify a "primary" spice in the blends. I recognize the mix, have ones I like "best", but probably don't even know the names of the ingredients she uses to create them.

[family dog]

I've listed Namaste as one of my five favorite restaurants. It is, in fact, my Number One. We followed the cook when she left another Concord restaurant almost 10 years ago to open her own place with her husband. Her daily lunch buffet menu (well over 20 dishes including pakoras, nan, soups, veg. and non-veg. entrees, salads, desert, fruits, etc.) is always varied, delicious, and balanced in Ayurvedic terms. The regular clientele covers the breadth of the South Asian subcontinent, plus lucky westerners. It's a real bargain at $8.99/person. Sounds so good, we'll head there right now, and I'll write more when we get back.

[Robert Lauriston]

Where was she ten years ago?

[family dog]

At a nearby place called Swagat, which we went to the day it opened, having enjoyed several meals at the first Swagat, in Milpitas.

[Robert Lauriston]

Thanks, that's what I was hoping, the food was great there back then.