Beenthere

This Indian restaurant reminds me of many wonderful meals enjoyed in the subcontinent — in private homes and in better restaurants in Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, and other cities of the subcontinent. The notion that “Indian food” = “curry” = “intolerably hot with chili pepper” is broken at this restaurant.

Two couples went on our first visit (October 26, 2007). We ordered a wide range of dishes (14 total) to survey the menu. Our total cost plus tip was $103. We were most favorably impressed and have scheduled 2 further visits with larger dinner groups over the next 3 weeks.

The owner also operates a wholesale food store, and the freshness of ingredients that he supplies to his own kitchen showed in these preparations.

If there was a “missing” spice in any of the 14 dishes that we tried, it would be the annoyingly excess pepper that many people have come to associate with Indian cuisine. Also, here, the heating of spices in oil until they become “fragrant” is practiced without the slightest hint of “scorching” — another nuance of finer crafting of a meal. We asked our server to prepare our dishes to a level of spiciness that would be “typical to an inland city such as Delhi”. We were rewarded with a vindaloo that kissed the palate with a sensuous and complex blend of many flavors — while maintaining a Scoville index of only a fraction of that which I associate with most steaks that are delivered to the tables of local restaurants.

The naans were delightfully textured with a balance of pliability and flakiness. While I found the garlic naan slightly bitter, it was still quite acceptable, and the Peshawari Naan was far beyond “just good”. It invited the diner to revel in the combined sweetness of the raisins and the creamy bouquet of the pistachios and, perhaps, to ignore the other dishes and make a meal of this enticing bread.

We resisted that temptation and noted a similar high spot in the mint-coriander sambal — no bitterness or raw flavor or coarse texture — just complex and pleasant flavor. The mixed vegetable samosas provided surprisingly bright flavors (more so than the meat samosa) with pastry that was delivered to the table at its peak of perfection. These samosas invite immediate attention, as the pastry could condense steam and become too moist upon standing. The mixed vegetables in the various samosas, pakoras, and Malai Kofta each had differing textures and flavor combinations. If they came from the same source, the chef differentiated them adroitly on their way through preparation.

The Malai Kofta was magnificent: crisply fried vegetable balls in a creamy sauce that was suave and creamy and bursting with as much complex flavor as I could desire. Our group agreed that this was a “favorite”.

The Baghare Baingam (small, whole eggplants in a chunkier sauce) included fresh curry leaves to highlight an already interesting sauce. We had asked for this dish to let the black mustard, rather than the chili, dominate. It was rich in aroma and texture without being oily.

The Chicken Sag Wali gave us a smooth spinach sauce without any toothiness or raw flavor or overcooked flavor.

We had asked for our Chicken Vindaloo to be our hottest dish, but even it turned out to be crafted as a complex ensemble of subtle flavors rather than as a “hot” dish.

The Basmati Rice that accompanied these entrees had a touch of cumin and a light oil parching that reminded me of the flavor that I used to enjoy with a family from Mumbai — “watched closely and just parched, not toasted or browned” (007 surely would have approved). The finish on this rice was “al dente” with nary a split end yet every grain completely cooked — perfect timing in the steamer.

One of our party favored quite strongly the Paneer Pakoras over our other starters. The cheese was mild and yet dominated the preparation. I had expected the Fried Fish starter to be rolled in a mixture of gram flour and mirchi pepper and fried, but this dish also had a flavor that was subtle (and a pretty, bright red color).

During the meal and afterward, we became aware that the chef had used means other than an abundance of salt to bring these rich bouquets of flavor to our table, and we appreciate his skill. This meal had perhaps the lowest salt-content of any restaurant meal (of any ethnicity) that we have enjoyed in the past month. This, too, makes the chef eligible for kudos.

We wanted a rosewater-flavored rice pudding for dessert but settled for Kheer. The kheer was good and certainly held our interest even after such a bountiful feast.

This is one Indian restaurant that I can recommend for general diners. It is clearly Indian without some of the eccentricities that make less venturesome people hesitant to try Indian cuisine. One can hope for a long run by this restaurant in Rock Hill. It is a great addition to the options in this expanding Sunbelt city, and it compliments the house-flavors at other nearby Indian restaurants.

This writer has no financial, familial, fraternal, or other associations with Flavors of India Restaurant other than being a customer.

A highlight of visiting the Cleveland area is a mandatory visit to Marbella Restaurant. Whether a birthday, a wedding celebration, an anniversary, a family meal — it is always reliable, upbeat, positive, creative. There is no end to the adjectives for this place. Armindo Pedreira runs a great restaurant.
This past weekend there were 5 of us. We had been there before, and were recognized as friends with spontaneous welcoming greetings from multiple staff and servers as we entered. This is the type of attention and hospitality that springs from the heart, not a training manual. It makes one feel as though everyone involved with the restaurant is singularly interested in making your meal pleasant and rewarding. Such treatment just cannot be faked. The people of Marbella are simply old-school professionals who care, and that makes all the difference.
What did we have? Chilean sea bass with dried fruits garnish, lightly encrusted grouper with a sauce of leeks and flavorful stock, various other dishes as appetizers, and table-served mixed vegetables done just right, and their signature potato crisps. The dessert floated across the table in the form of tira missou, flan, bananne flambé. Did I mention the bread? A restaurant of this calibre does not slight on the smallest detail — butter that is cool, but spreads delicately across bread that is worthy of a meal in its own right. Fresh flowers, waiters who know their menus and have no fear of recommending specific dishes on the basis of efficient interviews with the guests, the background music, the artworks, the wine service. What is there not to like at Marbella! Impeccable service, delightful food, welcoming people. What a comfortable place to go at the end of a day and be reminded that life is good and people are wonderful!

A shopping mall is not necessarily where you might look for a restaurant with really imaginative cuisine. Think again, if you wind up at Paladar and order the charming seviche and mushroom and shrimp tapas or grilled fish on a base of enyucado. When the starchy base is this good, and the fish is married to it in a voluptuous union, one can only admire the work of Chef Matt, Sous Chef Robert, and Manager Ean Carroll in producing a restaurant that deserves to enjoy patronage by discriminating foodies. Paladar is true to its Latin roots — upbeat, happy, alive, colorful. It is a great place to go with family or professionals or a special date. It would be hard to find fault with the menu and the aspirations of the young management team. What it lacks in time-worn polish, it makes up for in flavor, excitement, and spontaneity. This results seems quite predictable when Sous Chef Robert comes to the table and shares the philosophy that “it’s all about the people who are our clients”. You can feel and taste the love of the creative process that happens at Paladar. Try it; you will not be disappointed.

A shopping mall is not necessarily where you might look for a restaurant with really imaginative cuisine. Think again, if you wind up at Paladar and order the charming seviche and mushroom and shrimp tapas or grilled fish on a base of enyucado. When the starchy base is this good, and the fish is married to it in a voluptuous union, one can only admire the work of Chef Matt, Sous Chef Robert, and Manager Ean Carroll in producing a restaurant that deserves to enjoy patronage by discriminating foodies. Paladar is true to its Latin roots — upbeat, happy, alive, colorful. It is a great place to go with family or professionals or a special date. It would be hard to find fault with the menu and the aspirations of the young management team. What it lacks in time-worn polish, it makes up for in flavor, excitement, and spontaneity. This result seems quite predictable when Sous Chef Robert comes to the table and shares the philosophy that “it’s all about the people who are our clients”. You can feel and taste the love of the creative process that happens at Paladar. Try it; you will not be disappointed.