Ritu Ki Rasoi in Burlington

[Ladycale]

My husband was in the Burlington area and noticed the sign for a new Indian restaurant tucked away in Burlington. Anyone have any intel on it?

http://www.ritukirasoi.com/home

[greygarious]

I went to the Wednesday night buffet for the first time in 3 months. Things have been upgraded - metal flatware, cloth napkins, and plates that while plastic, are not disposable. Probably melamine. They have redesigned the website but still don't appear to be updating it promptly. It would be helpful, in making plans, to know the lunch and dinner buffet dishes at least a few days ahead of time.

Once again, the food was delicious but of indeterminate composition. Almost all the patrons appear to be of sub-Asian continent origin so probably are in the know, but if they are interested in growing their "goy" clientele, it would behoove them to include more info on the labels. I would like to know which are appetizers and desserts (it's not always obvious - what I thought was rice pudding was some sort of sour savory), and perhaps what the major ingredients are.

[Ferrari328]

One of the reasons I don't go there is that the dishes only have the Indian names on the menu and no description. This sounds like a few of the other reasons have been removed.

http://thedailylunch-woburn.blogspot....

[greygarious]

My first time there tonight, for the regional Wednesday night buffet, for which cuisines alternate.
Today it was Gujurati. $16 including tax.
Lilva Kachori
Patra
Khatta Dhokla
Daal Dhokali
Surati Undhiyo
Kadhi
Dahi Batata nu Shak
Tindora nu Shak
Ringana papdi nu Shak
Raw papaya chutney
Gulabjamun
Basoondi
Amras
Pooris, plain and methi
Chapati
Chaat, salad, papad, Khichiya

Most of these dishes are vegan, I learned as I asked about the unfamiliar ones. Turns out the gracious woman explaining them to me is Ritu herself. My favorites were Lilva Kachori - a wheat-crusted deep-fried bun with a lentil filling, Patra - similar to stuffed grape leaves but acacia, not grape, and Ringana papdi nu Shak, a stew containing eggplant.

The food was delicious and filling. I would not venture to make these dishes myself, but WOULD be interested in knowing what they contain.

Ritu mentioned that their Diwali celebration will be November 14. The buffet will have three times the number of dishes they normally have on Wednesday evenings. I imagine they will be slammed. They were pretty full tonight - I was the only "goy" amidst a number of Indian couples and families.

[FinnFPM]

Wow, very cool. Thanks for the tip.

[FinnFPM]

So the lady and I had to go to Burlington for something tonight, and I looked this thread up this morning to see if the Diwali buffet was in fact tonight. It was! I talked her out of her original H-Mart plan so that we could check this place out.

Sweet merciful crap was this ever a freaking orgy of a buffet. I'm very glad we came. There was a ton of stuff here I'd never heard of, much less tasted. I came in really wide-eyed, hoping to get a taste of everything, but I just couldn't. There was too much stuff. Savory highlights included the aloo dum (my favorite), pindi chana, some sort of paneer, a spicy eggplant dish I didn't catch the name of, and there were like six curries to boot. The rices were excellent. There was some sort of Indian spicy pickle side that I was told is traditional. It was great.

There was a big section of savory food that wasn't labeled. They had something called ratatouille pinwheel, which didn't seem terribly indian but was delicious nonetheless. There were a few samosa-looking things that were great. I started running out of steam when I got to the minty raita stuff. The only thing I genuinely didn't enjoy was the mulligatawny soup, which is strange, since it's not really the most far-out dish. I'm far, far from a picky eater, but this stuff tasted like old cigarettes to me. Very strange. There were a lot of flavors in these dishes I'd never really encountered. That was the only bad one.

There was an extensive dessert section. The gulab jamun was freaking out of this world. I'd never had it before, and if anyone ever sees this on a menu, order it. Outstanding. It's basically soft balls of fried dough served in a cardamom syrup. There was something called thandai mousse, which was delicious but extremely rich, and I didn't have the wherewithal to eat a ton of it. Another great dessert I'd never heard of was badam ka halwa, which is like a very sweet and gritty almond butter. No one's a bigger fan of nut butters than I am. I found some extra space to pack this in. The raj bhog was a totally new sort of dessert for me; these are extraordinarily spongy little balls that are kept in -- and soak up huge quantities of -- a syrupy broth. When you bite one, the juices just pour out of it. They tasted strongly of saffron and were not particularly sweet, but the experience was a really interesting one.

So, yeah. A great time. They had a lot of masala chai and lassi and some sort of warm custardy almond drink. The food was all piping hot, most of it was spicy, all of it was flavorful and made with great skill and care. I was really impressed by everything. The place was positively hopping and everyone was in good spirits; when we left at around 8PM, there was a line out the door. They were cooking a ton of food and the quality was all very high.

Anyone else lucky enough to make it out here tonight? This place, I'm sure, does a fabulous regular buffet as well. Thanks again to greygarious for mentioning this on the board.

[newyorker1]

We made it there for the first time tonight (thanks greygarious for the post last week!) and really enjoyed it as well. I enjoy Indian food in a not-particularly knowledgeable-but-I-know-what-I-like kind of way, and found a good balance between familiar and new flavors. The variety was incredible, and it was fun being around so many families celebrating the holiday.

[Bob Dobalina]

Awesome post - thanks! Will definitely put this place on the "to try" list.

RE: love of nut butters - make sure you make it to Fastachi.

[FinnFPM]

I'm terrified of going to Fastachi. I very much feel like I'd remember walking in the doors, and then I'd wake up in some ditch, two days later, with dried cashew butter all over my face and a $900 bill in my pocket.

[Rasam]

According to a friend, you likely encountered their "Chappan Bhog (56 dishes)" extravaganza Diwali holiday buffet. A good day to visit. Their everyday fare may not be so extensive, but still excellent.

[FinnFPM]

We quite certainly did encounter their Diwali buffet, as was repeatedly and explicitly stated.

[greygarious]

Well, I am very envious! I would have loved to go for the Diwali buffet but I knew it would be crowded. When I was there on Halloween I found the dining room too hot so I sat at a table in the counter room. Clearly it was going to be more crowded last night, and being partially disabled, I am unable to stand on line for more than a few minutes. Thanks for rubbing in how much I missed! ;>)

[Aromatherapy]

Thanks for posting this. I had a nice lunch of hara bhara bhel and a combo #1 (an eggplant and a paneer curry, rice, a little undressed mixed salad). Flavors were good, light on the oil as noted, tastes like home cooking. It's a takeout-geared place but with plenty of seating; order and pay and they bring your food, served in plastic/styro/paper. The room is large, simple and serviceable. Almost entirely Indian clientele when I was there. Look for Burlington Auto Parts on your left going north, it's hidden along the side of that building. I wish it were less of a hassle for me to get to but I can definitely see going back.

[Ladycale]

My husband picked up some food for me the other day from here and I thought it was pretty good. That being said, my knowledge of "authentic" Indian food is rather nonexistent...

They have a list of items on their menu here: http://www.ritukirasoi.com/menu

They also have weekly specials with different dishes.

[amy_wong]

They have khasta kachori and a good selection of Indian street food.

I had cabbage and peas and methi rajma. Both were flavorful and pleasantly light on oil. I had gobi manchurian to go, and that was wonderful. Crisp cauliflower in a piquant sauce. I'll try the haka noodles next; they do have a variety of Indo-Chinese items in the menu.

[StriperGuy]

Heck they have pani poori on the menu...

[Bob Dobalina]

I love this - hilarious!

# We are excited to announce a cure for your winter blahs! As the temperatures dips we offer you hot samosa and hot Masala chai for a price that keeps pace with the temperature dips. Here is what happens -- We will post the daily temperature as it shows in our window Thermometer at noon and based on that you the following sliding scale for a Masala chai and 2 samosas--
# Temp 40* or below but above 31* you pay $4
# Temp 30* or below but above 21* you pay $3
# Temp 20* or below you pay $2.
# What a deal!Come in and take advantage of our naivete!!!

[StriperGuy]

How'd I miss that. Awesome.