That’s a CYA sign. Lots of places post them, to guard against being accused of serving (you guessed it!) minors or intoxicated people. Which is illegal.
I know (I was a lawyer so I know about CYA).
I wasn’t actually offended, but I did think it was funny.
That’s rava (semolina) fried fish, pretty distinctive to the region (and usually delicious). The difference is that the treatment is normally applied to thin steaks (or deboned Bombay duck), not fat chunks — which means you get a nice portion of crust with every bite (think fried chicken). Not eaten with a sauce — it is the deep fried element on the plate.
On a typical one of these thalis, there is a deep fried component, a dry-ish masala component (sukka = dry), and a thin curry (rassa / curry). Plus a vegetable, a legume, pickle, salad / kachumbar. To accompany, a bread component (chapati / puri / vade / etc) and always a generous portion of rice.
The fried bit is meant to last through the meal, sukka usually eaten with the bread first (along with the vegetarian dishes), and the curry with the rice at the end.
Re overcooked, the expected cook time (and resulting texture) of proteins in south asian cooking is pretty different than in the west. Part of it is that chicken and meat are still often free range and tough, and take a long time to tenderize. Part of it is that spices take time to meld and turn into what they’re supposed to be, and the meat is cooked together with them so flavors penetrate. But part of it is also that it’s what’s normal / expected.
That said, the fish for the Parsi dinner we had there was also disappointing, both in spicing and in being overcooked / dry for some people vs others, so maybe they are just off on fish preps they aren’t used to.
@FlemSnopes I’m surprised the chicken tasted similar to things you’ve eaten before, because there are distinctive spices and methods (stone flower, poppy seeds, sometimes tirphal / Sichuan peppercorn, 3 forms of coconut — dried whole, powdered / desiccated, and fresh, occasionally even milk, and so on). Curious if @SteveR or others who have eaten the Xacuti that’s now on the regular menu, which we had (with mushrooms) for our Goan RW meal there together found the Malvani chicken similar as they overlap significantly in spices and prep.
It’s interesting that the chicken had distinctive spices and methods, yet I found it similar to other Indian dishes. I can think of some possible reasons.
One is that by that late in the meal, I was really enjoying the conversation, so perhaps without knowing it, I just wasn’t concentrating on the food as much (though I thought I was).
Another is that a lot of what I was eating was VERY different from other Indian food that I’ve had, so perhaps the difference in the taste profile for the chicken was relatively less distinctive than the other dishes, so it didn’t stand out.
A third is that I have eaten a pretty wide range of foods from various Indian regions, but I can’t distinguish the various regions in the same way that I can with, say, Chinese food. In the DC area, the high end places tend to mix and match regions too, and I can’t always follow the regional variations. We also rarely cook Indian at home.
But who knows is the real answer.
1 Like
Oh, yes, forgot…the short-grained rice they served (special?) was also delicious!
1 Like
sorry to have missed, food looks wonderful!
Indian Table seems to be a popular venue as I think there have been at least a couple of HO gatherings there. Any plans for another? Would be nice to join if I can ever get the timing to work. Seems whenever there is a group meal I am out of town.
Since my wife and I go there quite a bit (both with groups and ourselves), it wouldn’t be a stretch to get there with you. My idea: throw out 3 or 4 dates you would be available and we’ll build a dinner around one of them.
And try to catch me between medical emergencies. It might not be easy!
If the date happened to be before we leave on 9/14, Toni and I might be able to join you. If there’s room. We’d love to try the Goan menu
Let me check. Won’t be until after LDW.
That’s fine. Lots of my time before then will be at the US Open anyway.
