Shalom Bombay, appetizers and veggie kofta - what are the best choices?

[AdinaA]

I'm having Shalom Bombay deliver the appetizers for Thanksgiving. A large sophisticated, largely adult crowd will gather and chat for 2-3 hours before I serve the turkey.

I am thinking beef samosas, vegetable pakoras and vegetable samosos.

any advice? Has anyone sampled these?

I am also ordering a dish that will serve as a main course for the (I think, 3) vegetarians who are coming, and as a side dish for everyone else (I don't like to rope something off and have to tell people only card carrying vegetiarians are allowed to eat it)

I am looking at the Vegetable kofta. Has anyone tried it? I know that the yellow dal is wonderful. I think the spinich and lentils is a little too plain. I want something wonderful. All suggestions from the http://www.shalombombay.com/ gratefully accepted.

[AdinaA]

The dishes were delivered hot and they were fabulous. Almost as good reheated, and all the leftovers have disappeared.

The samosas were wonderful, and the kofta was superb. A truly amazing veggie dish. The pakoras were excellent, I don't eat or do a lot of batter-dipped deep-frying. But there is no doubt that they were popular.

I would order party food from them again form Shalom Bombay with complete confidence.

[AdinaA]

They are open on Thursday afternoon. The blue laws aren't what they used to be, but, do people really go out for Indian food on Thanksgiving Day?

[avitrek]

Blue laws never would have applied to Thanksgiving. Blue laws existed to enforce Christian holidays, not a secular holiday like Thanksgiving.

Given that it's Manhattan, I'm not shocked that restaurants are open. It's become fairly common for people to look for non-traditional holiday meals. The only thing that surprises me is the NY Times hasn't done a story on restaurant Thanksgiving like the stories on Christmas, Passover, or pretty much every other holiday.

[queenscook]

I also think the Blue Laws were only for Sundays; restaurants were never routinely closed on Christmas, definitely a Christian holiday, when Christmas wasn't on Sunday. (Where would Jews eat on Christmas, if not for Chinese restaurants?!) And I don't think stores were closed on Christmas because of the Blue Laws, but rather because bosses wanted to give employees off to spend with their families. I see that's changing, but I think it's all totally separate of the law.

[azcohen]

I love all of their food. When I get the lunch special I munch on the vegetable pakoras until my food is ready and man they are yummy. Not to heavy, just the right amount of spice to get your palate salivating...the samosas are good, but very filling as they have heavy dough casings.

[AdinaA]

Thank you both. I'll get the pakoras and beef samosas, and serve a platter of veggies with hummus.

[Arinoam]

You too??! I though I was the only one with the chutzpah to gobble down the pakoras while waiting for pickup of my lunch box

[avitrek]

The beef samosas and vegetable pakoras are great. I've never had the vegetable samosas. I don't know how they're handling thanksgiving/catering orders, but be aware that there are 3 small samosas per order when you order at the restaurant.