Regional Indian in the Bay Area (enough Punjab already!)

[Eat_Nopal]

I have been cooking the sumptious recipes of Monisha Bharadwaj's "India's Vegeterian Cooking"... and have fallen in love with the some of the regional specialties I rarely find in restaurants. So I am wondering - given the large Indian population in the Bay Area - where I can go taste them first hand from an Indian cook.

Two dishes I particularly like are:

> Cauliflower Sukke - A curry made with coconut, tamarind, jagger, arbol chiles, tumeric & fenugreek that is from Karnataka

> Pessaratu - A lentil pancake made with mung beans, serrano chiles, onions, coriander, cilantro leaves & cumin that is from Andhra Pradesh

But please don't limit the recommendations to those two styles of cooking... I just want to get beyond the same 100 or so Punjab & Maharashtrian dishes that seem to always end up on Indian menus.

[nsheth]

There's Milan in Milpitas, serving Gujarati food. I'm going through wedding planning, and I hear this place recommended all the time by various vendors. Though, when I visited, I was a bit underwhelmed - perhaps others have more positive experiences there. Only place in bay area I've come across serving sizzler . . .

[nsheth]

Here's an address . . .

-----
Milan Sweet Center
296 S Abel St, Milpitas, CA

[Robert Lauriston]

What is sizzler?

[nsheth]

It's a dish from Mumbai (I think). It's basically an amalgamation of items served together on a sizzling hot plate (a la fajitas), usually with some sauce. My mom's version had pasta, mixed vegetables, a vegetable patty, french fries, rice . . .

http://www.creamcentre.com/menu.htm
This is a restaurant in Mumbai, fairly well known - I remember my dad taking us there for Chole Bhatura everytime we visited. There are some sizzler items on the menu, you can click on the images for a larger view.

Here's a pic from someone's blog:
http://tummytimes.blogspot.com/2008/0...

In any case, I didn't find the one I had at Milan all that good. But, folks who were with me that were originally from India loved it . . .

[mdg]

I am not a pesarattu expert, but I very much liked the pesarattu upma that I had at Mirchi Indian Cafe in Mountain View today.

Michael

-----
Mirchi Indian Cafe
867 E El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040

[osho]

An update to this thread ... I read on tablehopper a couple of weeks ago about a new eatery in the Castro called Kasa. I called the number on their website and spoke to the owner - they are set to open on next Wed at 11 AM.

They serve a peculiar street food from India called Kati Kabab - from wiki - 'The basic kati roll begins with paratha toasted on a tava. Whipped egg is poured in the tava's center and carefully topped with the bread. Fried vegetables are roasted in butter and stuffed inside. To finish, spices, including red onion slivers and lime, are sprinkled on top. Spicy potatoes, paneer, chicken tikka or lamb can also be ingredients stuffed inside.'

Here's the website:
http://www.kasaindian.com/

Sounds delectable. Can't wait to try it ...

Cheers

-----
Kasa Indian Eatery
4001 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94114

[Robert Lauriston]

Their menu looks decidedly non-regional (not that there's anything wrong with that): free-range chicken tikka, turkey kebab, grass-fed lamb curry. The gimmick is that instead of offering dishes a la carte, you get a choice of a burrito-like kati roll ($5.50) or thali ($10.95). Seems like they're trying to apply the taqueria business model to Indian food, probably a prototype for a chain.

[osho]

FYI - It's not a gimmick, but a genuine form of street food from the metropolitan areas in India - Bombay, Delhi, Madras and Calcutta. Google the words kati roll or kati kabab.

[Robert Lauriston]

Has anyone tried the Tamil Nadu, Andhra, or Cochin (Kerala) dishes at Om? I think they might also have some Goan dishes.

http://www.omcuisine.com/custom3.html

-----
OM South Indian Cuisine
1518 4th St, San Rafael, CA 94901

[DiveFan]

If you are in central CC, by all means try Monsoon Masala. They have several Goan dishes on the menu and the other 'usual (Moghul) suspects' are prepared exceptionally well.

-----
Monsoon Masala
2375 Contra Costa Blvd, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

[Melanie Wong]

Thanks for mentioning it. I just looked at the website and it promises cooking from Bombay too. Also saw a Keralan fish curry that I can't wait to try.

[Maple]

I have been curious myself, though in the interest of full disclosure, a couple of good friends from Kerala were underwhelmed...

[kumarc]

Dosa in the mission serves south indian food. I've only been there once and it's good. I wouldn't say it's great, but that's because I compare all south indian food to my mom's, which is unbeatable. But, if you judge by crowds and buzz, it's got both.

[osho]

IMHO, Dosa was excellent on all counts when it first opened in early 2006. Last time I went with a group of friends, I came to the conclusion that it's turned into a trendy hipster spot. Nothing wrong with that, just that the food is more expensive and I thought the quantities of food were reduced.

Also, Sultan in SF has introduced Dosas very recently. I had some at the buffet a couple of weeks ago, and I would say they provide an excellent alternative to Dosa (the restaurant).

[Lori SF]

Becareful to close your spice cabinets with a earthquake secure vice.. my Indian spices went flying out of the cabinets in the 1994 earthquake in LA and my kitchen never recovered from smells and stains.

What I know is the South Bay is the area. I do not recall a particular spot but I will get the recommendations that I once had again and post them.

[Melanie Wong]

Absolutely the South Bay, but don't forget about Fremont too for the highest density of Indian/South Asian on the ground.

[Robert Lauriston]

Tirupathi Bhimas also serves Andhra cuisine.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/351087

-----
Tirupathi Bhimas
1208 S Abel St, Milpitas, CA 95035

[Nathan P]

And Tirupathi Bhimas does have Pessarattu: a plain and an Uppuma version. I've ordered it a few times and enjoyed it though I only have one other version to compare.

[Melanie Wong]

Here's a photo of the plain pesarattu filled with red onions, fresh ginger, jalapeno peppers, shallots, herbs at TB. It's accompanied by sambar, coconut chutney, and the addictive tomato chutney.

Image of plain pesarattu -
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/33/50160521_1c23d9bf74.jpg?v=0

For "osho", Tirupathi Bhimas makes my favorite thali, which come in spicy Andhran and non-spicy versions. Much fresher and lighter tasting. The non-spicy is still full-flavored, but does not have the mindblowing Andrhan heat . . . one of the waiters there once confided in me that the spicy one is can be too hot for him too sometimes. I like the variety of vegetables used (e.g., black radish, gongura, beet, bottle gourd, drumsticks, okra) and the different preps. I will usually ask what's in the thali before ordering it here, but it usually always appeals with kozhambu, majjiga, kootu, poriyal, avial, etc. made with those veggies, plus various types of dal, a sweet, and rasam and sambar.

Image of "non-spicy" thali -
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/26/52082354_e199772c0f.jpg?v=0

More photos from Bhimas -
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=19407...

[osho]

I ate at Bhima's around the time it first opened back in 2005. I must have had the non-spicy version, because I thought the food bordered on the insipid. Maybe some teething troubles back then.

Also, I should clarify that the thali I am hankering for is probably Gujarati or Kutchi food.

[Melanie Wong]

The first Sunday of the month features Gujarati and the fourth Sunday is Kathiavadi at DeeDee's. There's a kutchi burger on the chaat menu . . . whatever that is.

[osho]

I can point out some places serving regional specialties. Unfortunately, I cannot readily recommend most of these places, because they are simply not consistent, but I suppose no harm in trying your luck, really.

Udupi Palace - food from Karnataka (South) - locations in Berkeley and Sunnyvale
Spice Hut - features some food from Kerala (South) - locations in Sunnyvale and Fremont
Sarvana Bhavan, Komala Vilas - food from Tamil Nadu (South) - Sunnyvale
Banjara, Annapoorna - food from Andhra (South) - Sunnyvale

Sultan in SF sometimes has Gujarati Muslim dishes.
Cafe Dhaka in Sunnyvale has Bangla style food - I had a terrible experience there though.

I think Melanie posted a while back about Sue's Kitchen serving Maharashtrian cuisine.I have never been.

Niloufer King sometimes organizes Parsi dinner events in SF and I think at Chez Panisse on the Parsi New Year's Day. They are pricy though, at around $120 per head.

Food from other states like Uttar Pradesh (melt in the mouth kababs from Lucknow) and Madhya Pradesh is just not available. Maybe other 'hounds can educate us.

Alas, AFAIK, not a single place serves a "propah" thali, like the one at Quilon in Central London.

[adrienne156]

Looks like someone should organize a crawl in Sunnyvale...?

[Melanie Wong]

A place that deserves special mention is Dasaprakash. When I posted about my first visit there years ago, http://www.chowhound.com/topics/18732 , I got an email from Jonathan Gold that I needed to try the pesseret.

I've not been to Udupi Palace in Sunnyvale or Berkeley for a long time, mostly because the Newark location is reputed to be the best of the three. There was one in Livermore, don't know if it's still there.

DeeDee's is the place with the Maharastrian spread once a month. The cooks there are Guju, but they feature other regions on some Sundays.

-----
Udupi Palace
1901 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

Dasaprakash Indian Restaurant
2636 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara, CA 95051

Udupi Palace
976 E El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Deedee's
341 Lafayette St #101, Santa Clara, CA

Udupi Palace
5988 Newpark Plz, Newark, CA 94560

[osho]

Thanks Melanie. Correction above. Dee Dee's in Mountain View serves Maharastrian cuisine from time to time.

[walker]

What bad thing happened at Cafe Dhaka? I've been meaning to try it since a South Indian told me it was very authentic Bengali food.

[mdg]

Cafe Dhaka has good food, but service there can be very slow sometimes. It's well worth trying, but don't go if you're pressed for time.

Michael

[mdg]

Adding the link...

-----
Cafe Dhaka
3284 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95051

[osho]

My post from September 2007:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/31138...

[wolfe]

Check out the Ajanta menu.
http://www.ajantarestaurant.com/menu_...

[Morton the Mousse]

Ajanta is great. They change the menu each months in order to work in as many obscure regional specialties as possible. If you subscribe to their e-newsletter, you can keep track of the menu changes.

[janetofreno]

With all due respect, I don't see much on that menu that varies from the usual fare...with the possible exception of a Goan dish or two. I've eaten at Ajanta, and not been overly impressed.

Vik's in Berkeley is definitely different from the usual (its Mumbai-style chaat, or street food), so try eating your way through their menu (especially on weekends). Lots of posts here on Vik's.

But your best bet is to cultivate some Indian friends. In general, home cooking is far superior to restaurants when it comes to Indian cuisine....

-----
Vik's Chaat House
2390 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710

[osho]

Thanks Janet. Chaat. How could I forget ?

Dana Bazaar and Chaat Paradise(?) in Fremont.
Viks in Berkeley.
Another place - in the strip mall right after the 85 exit ramp off El Camino in Mountain View. I can't recall the name now, or if it still exists.

[RWCFoodie]

Chaat House - see website:
http://www.chaathouse.net/menu.htm

[osho]

Chaat House is on El Camino in Sunnyvale. Never eaten there. Have you ?

[ceekskat]

"Another place - in the strip mall right after the 85 exit ramp off El Camino in Mountain View. I can't recall the name now, or if it still exists."

I believe this is Chaat Paradise...same complex as the Burger King.

There's also Tabla Flavors who may have pesarratu since it is an Andhra place.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/460053

[osho]

ceekskat, Thanks for the name. Chaat Paradise serves pretty decent chaat, AFAIK.

[Melanie Wong]

The twin of Dana Bazar (sic) is Chat Patta Corner with the latter having tables and chairs so you can take a seat to eat. I much prefer the chaat offerings to Vik's, though the kind ladies who run these places are Punjabi I believe and might not be what EN is seeking.

I agree with ceekskat that Chaat Paradise is probably the place you're thinking of in Mountain View.

-----
Chat Patta Corner
34751 Ardenwood Blvd, Fremont, CA 94555

Dana Bazar
5113 Mowry Ave, Fremont, CA 94538

Chaat Paradise
165 E El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040

Tabla Flavors
6830 Village Pkwy, Dublin, CA 94568

New Tabla
1088 Shell Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404

Tabla
4040 Pimlico Dr Ste 116, Pleasanton, CA 94588

[RWCFoodie]

Don't know what I was thinking when I posted the link to Chaat House - I was thinking of Chaat Paradise and just zoned out on the city... Chaat Paradise in Mountain View is very good when you have that hankering for chaat....

[Melanie Wong]

No worries, I'm hoping someone can tell us more about Chaat House as it hasn't been mentioned much on this board.

Another spot worth mentioning is Shayona Snacks & Catering located in the Shree Swaminayaran Mandir temple in Milpitas for guju snacks.

-----
Ajanta Restaurant
1888 Solano Ave, Berkeley, CA 94707

Chaat House
939 W El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Shree Swaminayaran Mandir
25 Corning Ave, Milpitas, CA

[Morton the Mousse]

The OP was looking for regional cuisine beyond Punjab and Maharashtrian dishes. In the past year, Ajanta has featured dishes from Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Kashmir, and Pakistan, as well as traditional Mughlai dishes. The owners travels to different regions of India each year for inspiration.

I know you had one unimpressive meal there a couple of years ago. I've been eating at Ajanta regularly for five years. Although I have had a handful of clunker dishes, most of what I've eaten at Ajanta is better than what is offered by most of the sit-down Indian restaurants in the Bay Area and Los Angeles (I consider chaat houses such as Viks to be in a different category of restaurants altogether).

I don't want to build up Ajanta *too* much. The food is good, often unique, and sometimes great, but it rarely blows my mind. If I was a visitor in the Bay Area for a couple of days it wouldn't make my list. Regardless, someone looking for less common regional Indian cuisine (who doesn't have access to home cooking) should consider subscribing to their newsletter, or occasionally checking the (always accurate) on-line menu for dishes of interest.

[janetofreno]

Actually, I've eaten there more than once, but the last time was probably two years ago. And I don't want to knock Ajanta that much because I admire any place that varies the menu and tries to put different regional dishes on from time to time. But the menu I looked at on the website looked pretty heavy on the North Indian variety. In my experience, there really isn't much difference between the food you get in Rajastan and that from Punjab....its all milder than the more Southern varieties and meat-centric. (and yes, I've traveled in those areas....)

Frankly, I haven't found a sit down Indian restaurant anywhere in California that comes close to what is served in my sister-in-law's house everyday...or even some of the dishes that come out of my own kitchen:-) And that's really my point....the best cooks from India unfortunately have not opened restaurants in this country.

To the OP: There are several good South Indian places in the South Bay, or so I hear...I never head down that way but I'm sure other hounds will chime in here with ideas. South Indian food is definitely different, and there are those of us who prefer it to anything from the north....