657960 Thu Oct 08 01:33:20 -0700 2009 4 12 Boston Area 0 5087612 6 of us hit Anapurna and ate a good bunch of items from the menu. As I did none of the ordering I don't remember the names on the menu exactly so I am guessing somewhat. Overall the food was excellent, the staff and particularly the owner-chef, were very very sweet and welcoming. Another recent review here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/655507 ranked it WAY better than Kathmandu Spice. I think the 6 of us would disagree, but to each his own. KS is different (Nepali vs. predominantly Tibetan at Annapurna) but at least as good in it's own way. I would not pick a clear winner either way, both places are excellent. We ate: Momos: probably best I have ever had, just plain delicious Pakora: small, nice, delicate, great fry job, but nothing earth shattering. Afghan style scallion pie: eh, kinda weak. Not bad, just not much to it. Naan: VERY NICE fresh Naan, all excellent, we had butter, potato, and onion. Splitting hairs here, but I still might give the slightest edge to KS garlic Naan. Goat biyiani: Nice dish, well spiced, tasty. Pumpkin: nice delicate subtle healthy Saag Paneer: very nice, very fresh, perfectly cooked spinach and very fresh cheese. Totally differnt that the cooked to death, drowning in Ghee Indian versions I am familiar with. Maybe the nicest most delicate version of this I have had. Mish Mash Mish Mash (the name was close to that) bunch of veg, possibly frozen, I might skip this dish next time. Very, very reasonably priced, if limited wine list. I forget what we had but both the red and white were nice. Both needed to be a little cooler which they remedied by popping in the freezer. Reading the other review, there are some things I would try on subsequent visits. The pumpkin and the mish mash were not really notable. That said, in general the flavors were subtle and nicely done, and thankfully not drowning in Ghee (common with Boston area Indian places who serve dishes with similar names). I think the general delicate touch with most of the food is one of Annapurna's strong points. My overall feel is delicate, tasty food made with care and finesse. Definitely on the permanent rotation. Want to try more of the menu. And the owner is just a wonderful sweet guy. Not going to abandon Kathmandu Spice any time soon, I love it as well. Thu Oct 08 01:33:20 -0700 2009 10169 StriperGuy 1 5088249 I agree, very good overall. The saag paneer probably was the best I've ever had, also. Momos, superb. The "pumpkin" was Pharsi Ra Aloo Ko Tarkari (kind of rolls off the tongue), pumpkin and potato in a tomato broth with "Himalayan" herbs, and I'm glad I spotted this; I really liked it. The mish mosh tish tosh or whatever... I did like flavorings in the broth the vegetables were cooked in, and even spooned some on my rice, but yeah, the veggies themselves were ordinary. Also, I think this is the one item we ordered "hot", but it wasn't that hot. Will definitely go back. Would like to explore the Afghani items. Thu Oct 08 08:49:32 -0700 2009 5087612 11148 Alcachofa 1 5105313 It's lame that I never chimed in here. I thought Annapurna was delightful. From the moment we walked in the door and smelled the amazing aromas I knew it was going to be a good one. We were served small cups of lentil soup to start and ordered a bottle of red and a bottle of white. Nothing notable about the wine except the temperature but they cheerfully chilled it down for us and lord knows we drank enough of it. As the others have said, the momos were out of this world. I've only had momos at Tremont 647 and these were so much better there's just no comparison. Very fully flavored with curry and skins reminiscent of a delicate wonton. I could eat a mountain of these. I also couldn't get over the saag paneer. It's one of my favorite dishes anyway, and I like the baby-food texture at places like Guru -- it's comforting. But this was a completely different animal. Lightly steamed spinach in a gently spiced sauce. Naan was great. We asked the waiter where our chef was from and he chuckled that he IS the chef. Tibetan born and Nepali raised. Not sure where the Afghan cuisine will fit into that profile but I'd like to try that too. It's a convivial little place, where you feel warm and cared for. The pictures of the Dalai Lama smiling down from the walls and our sweet servers added to that vibe. I really loved it. Can't wait to go back. Thu Oct 15 09:43:47 -0700 2009 5087612 10232 yumyum 1 5105694 I'm glad someone's eating well at Annapurna. We went twice in August and have really felt no need to return. The momos were watery and flavorless on both visits, which is just a sad situation. Meanwhile, last week at House of Tibet Kitchen, I almost fell out of my chair - their momos are so good. And if you really want to watch your arteries clog, try them fried. My god. We've also had the saag paneer which we both thought was tasty, but not a reason in itself to return. On the other hand, the Shogo Ngopa at HOTK was good enough to order twice. It's potatoes & vegetables, but the spicing is delicious. The few Afghani dishes we tried, including Kourma Challow, were made with the frozen vegetable mix of carrots, peas, and lima beans. That makes me sad. It's probably just my own cultural incompetence at mixing Tibetan, Nepali and Afghani, but I just couldn't find anything here to return for. Thu Oct 15 11:37:17 -0700 2009 5087612 15217 gini 2 5105730 Those were the exact same "mixed veggies" we had gini! Not good, and definitely sad making. But the momo's we had were not at all like you experienced. Thanks for the reminder to get over to HOTK. Thu Oct 15 11:47:27 -0700 2009 5105694 10232 yumyum