What rock have I been sitting under for all 26 years of my life? Seriously, why have I never tried Indian food????
I think I’m in LOVE!
Last night after the HLS sessions officially ended, a group of us met up and headed to the Chicago Curry House for a late dinner.
I was so glad that Gina decided to organize such a great dinner! Thanks, Gina! :-D We had a group of about 20 or so people, and I was very much relieved to find out that I was not the only “Indian Food Virgin” at the table. ;) I’d heard before that Indian food can definitely have a little “kick” to it, so I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous! :shock:
To start the night off, Gina, Paige & I split a bottle of Riesling.
It was fantastically delicious.
Then the table was given some pappadum & some dipping sauces to start.
I have no idea what each of them was called, but I do know that the green one was spicy, the brown-ish colored ones were sweet (my fave) and the other was apparently super salty, which I did not try.
The group decided to order a few of the dishes “family-style” to share, but others were also welcomed to order their own entrees. Since, I had some new horizons to explore here, I decided to dabble in a little bit of both. :)
A few veggie appetizers to start:
I tried a piece of fried cheese, along with a dumpling of sorts, which Sana explained were filled with potatoes and peas.
The dumpling was a little too spicy for me, so Sana gladly took care of finishing it for me. ;)
The table also ordered an Channa Masala (phenomenal),
a baigan bhartha (spicy, but totally yummy),
some white rice,
naan, and roti.
One thing that I knew I could take away so far from this meal? Naan should be a food group all of its own. HOLY YUM-O!! This stuff is flippin’ fantastic!
And since I wanted to try as many new things as possible, I also decided to split an entree off the menu with Kristi. Again, with the help of Sana & Gina, they recommended I try the Butter Chicken…
…and my love for Indian food grew deeper.
The chicken in this dish was very tender, almost shredded. But I think even more than that, I loved how much extra sauce there was to be able to dip my naan in. The sauce was thick and creamy, with a delicious tomato & buttery flavor. It was a bit spicy at times, but luckily the extra naan helped to cool things down a bit. ;)
Paige, Sana, Me, Gina, & Kristi
At the end of our dinner, a big bag full of treats magically appeared, courtesy of Lin! She had made some of her delicious Vegan brownies to share with us. How sweet is she?!? I think we all immediately dug into our treats…apparently I’m not the only one with a sweet tooth after dinner? ;)
One of my first missions when I get home: FIND A DELICIOUS, LOCAL INDIAN RESTAURANT!!
*To my locals: Do any of you happen to know of a good one nearby??? :-D
Judy says
It totally looks yumm-o! :)
Oh btw Courtney, you totally rock every outfit you appear in!
Haha I want in on the secret! :D
Courtney says
Haha, thank you! No secret here, just go with your gut!
Jen says
Indian restaurant recommendation for you!! Try Karavalli in Latham. Here is their website – The nan is AMAZING of course :) I recommend the Chicken Makmura (Roasted chicken, raisins, bay leaf, cashew sauce) It is not at all spicy and plenty of sauce for nan :) They have a couple other locations as well. http://www.karavallilatham.com/
I have been to Zaika in Clifton Park – food is very good but service was quite bad. Stick with Karavalli!
Courtney says
AWESOME!!! I knew somebody local would help me out…thanks Jen! :)
Jen says
Welcome! Let me know how you like it!
Danielle says
I somehow stumbled upon your blog and I’m not sure where you live exactly but Shalimar – goshalimar.com is in Delmar & Clifton Park. They have an AMAZING lunch buffet everyday so I would highly recommend doing that it’s about $8 per person and such great food. Would be ideal since you are a semi Indian food virgin.
Courtney says
Yumm! Both of those are definitely close by…thanks for the recommendations! :)
Cynthia (It All Changes) says
Indian food is sooooo AMAZING!!!
I love naan as a way to make mini pizzas. They are the perfect base :-)
Hillary says
Your outfit is A-dorable!
Jen is Green says
Courtney you have to try Aashiana on Washington Ave. They have indian buffet for lunch on weekdays and dinner on friday nights for only $10. it is amazing!!!! I had it for the first time in a long time last month and I loved it. esp. their naan!!!
http://www.aashianarestaurant.com/
Becky says
Sitar on Central Ave is great!!! Here’s the website :) http://www.sitarindianrestaurant.com/
Kerry says
Oo i love a good curry! That looks amazing! Especially the naan, mm! You look so cute as always! :)
CK says
Sitar on Central Ave is good (go at lunch, prices are better) and Ghandi’s (http://www.zuluma.com/gandhi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=58) on corner of Lark and Washington. They have a nice buffet at lunch as well. Chana Saag is my favorite (curry, cheese, chickpeas, spinach). I mix it with rice and scoop it up on the naan. Tandoori Chicken and Chicken Tikka is great as well. Welcome to the dark side! ;)
Courtney says
Hahaha, awesome! Thanks for the recommendations. :)
Sara says
I just stumbled across your blog and apparently I have good timing. I lived in Albany for 3 years for law school, now I’m north of Albany up near Saratoga. There’s an indian place right in albany, on the corner of Madison and Lark St. I can’t think of the name but they have a lunch buffet, they have it on weekends too I think, and its great! Its a good way to try.a bunch of different foods.
I’m glad I found your blog, I love reading local healthy living bloggers!
Courtney says
Ohhhh awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing, I’ll definitely have to look into it.
gina (fitnessista) says
hey girl! thanks again for indian feasting with us… and for coming to see our creepy ghost room! hahaha
i had so much fun hanging out this weekend. it was so great to finally meet you! hope to see you again sometime soon <3
xoxo
Courtney says
Ahhhh Indian Feast! I can’t wait for my next one…thank you so much for organizing it! It was so great meeting you too, hopefully again soon!
vitaminamy says
I’m a little late on this post but I really love Little India in Saratoga! :)