namaskar recommendations?

[willg]

I am feeding a large group (20) of people at my house on Saturday and am ordering from Namaskar in Davis Square (I live a short distance away). I am looking for recommendations of vegetarian dishes. Thank you for your suggestions.

[sifsw]

Also like their dosas--remind me of my ones my friend's auntie used to make.

[willg]

Thank you for the suggestions. We had about 20 people and we ate saag paneer, ringan bataka, dal mahani and veg. biryani. We also had pakora, samosas and bread. All the dishes were superb. One friend in attendance is from Gujarat, thought that the ringan bataka tasted like his mother's and was impressed with the other dishes as well. Highly recommended, and along with Tamarind Bay (which is very different), is among the best Indian food in the Boston area.

[aventinus]

I have had perhaps 15 meals at Namaskar, including several buffet lunches, and each has been very good. Namaskar is the place to go for unusual, healthy Indian vegetarian dishes. That eggplant dish, ringan bataka, is a delight because it is so different from the ubiquitous eggplant dish in Indian restaurants, baingan bharta.

[mipiace]

Just returned from my first dining experience at Namaskar, and I must say- I'm so pleased! What a difference from the cream-heavy, almost cloyingly sweet sauces at Diva. I had the vegetable jalfrezi, and the spices were phenomenal. I also loved the fresh panner, and the naan was out of this world. Service was friendly and fast, and though this may seem like a minor detail to some, I was pleased with the way the food was served in separate bowls unlike Diva's massive square plates with individual mounds of rice and food-it makes eating at their small tables a challenge, whereas here I felt like I could spread out and take my time with the meal. Overall, a great meal.

[cranbonite]

Their saag dishes are excellent, very well-spiced, and I especially like saag aloo, as the potatoes have a wonderful melt-in-your-mouth quality. I'm not as crazy about some of the tomato-based dishes as the sauces are incredibly dense with spices and tomatoes and less gravy-like, but if you prefer that, you will like these dishes. Be warned that if you have people who do not care for heat, Namaskar may not be for them. Their food is excellent, but I have a hard time going there, because they don't seem to understand that when I say "mild," I mean virtually no heat, not rather than "a bit, but not extremely, spicy" - I'm just not huge on that heat. But still, the saag dishes...really, really good. Not too creamy, just perfect consistency.

[pamalamb]

I agree with the saag, but I usually go for chickpeas.... not on the menu, but they can do it with no problem.

[limster]

I like getting their Gujarati Thali that comes with several vegetarian items, as wel as rice, naan or poori and very potent achar/pickles.