Midtown Lunch

Way back in the day, after reading about a type of Indian food I had never heard of on the original Midtown NYC Midtown Lunch, I checked it out for myself and was hooked. Chaat means Indian “snack”, and  usually refers to a unique combo of crunchy dough things topped with a yogurt and tamarind sauce.  In Philly, I had assumed that the only place to get some without hoping on a bus back to NYC was all the way in University City. I just found out that the UCity Desi Chaat House opened up a location in the food court of The Bellevue this past winter. I hopped on those escalator stairs immediately with chaat on the brain.

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I know there are people out there who simply do not love the flavors of Indian cooking, and that’s their business. And of course, like myself, there are tons of people who seek out Indian food. At Philadelphia Chutney Company both types of diners can share a table. Many of the dosas are filled with atypical ingredients, like ones you would find in a wrap. So, this is a way someone could dip their toe into trying Indian food, with experiencing the dosa wrapper, while remaining in their comfort zone. And, since the 2 menu items -dosas and uttapas- are gluten free, this was the another place to dine with my gluten free, non-Indian food loving friend.

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Luncher Aubre is on a serious mission to find the best Indian Buffet in University City. Recently she reported back on the Tandoor India Buffet, and today we’ll see how it compares to New Delhi.

Two weeks ago, when a thwarted trip to the New Delhi buffet landed me at Tandoor India, I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of my lunch. One of my lunch partners suggested that we return to New Delhi, not on a Monday, and do a comparison to decide the better of the Indian lunch buffets. For exactly the same price($8.95), someone needed to come out on top. The gauntlet was thrown down.

On Wednesday we walked to 40^th and Chestnut and, for some reason– perhaps the fancier  dining space and buffet set-up– expected New Delhi to surpass Tandoor India. At New Delhi the main buffet station sits in the middle of the dining room, while another, smaller station for salads and sauces sits against the wall. Visually, New Delhi is more enjoyable. The dining area has been recently redone to a much more modern look than Tandoor India and the buffet stations look newer and better maintained– making New Delhi feel like an upscale cafeteria at lunch time. Unfortunately, the food at New Delhi is also reminiscent of a cafeteria at lunchtime. The main offerings, although beautiful and of seemingly more variety than Tandoor’s, lacked the unique, bold flavors that I was really looking for.

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Last week I started brainstorming locations for my first ML post. I really wanted to do Kabobeesh,which I hear has incredible kebabs and naan, but their prices were a little more than what I wantedto spend at lunch time. Also their menu is confusing, where fish curry is served “mostly on Mondays”and biryani “mostly on Fridays”. So, there’s that. The final decision came down to the lunch buffet atNew Delhi Indian restaurant, on 40th and Chestnut. I had looked at their website, skimmed the buffetofferings, as well as the traditional dine-in menu, and I was ready to feast. Then, I walked over with twoco-workers on Monday afternoon and realized they were closed on Mondays–a minor oversight on mypart.
Thankfully, right around the corner is Tandoor India, which also offers an $8.95 lunch buffet and this iswhere we landed. The exterior of the restaurant leaves much to be desired, but the quality and quantityof food easily makes up for what the restaurant lacks in aesthetics. We were immediately seated, brought a pitcher of water and ushered up to the buffet.

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San Samosa was not one of the places that I walk by and thought, “I have a good feeling about this place.” I think it may have been the fact that I never saw anyone in there. So when I decided to bite the bullet and try the food to stop judging this book by its cover, I was really surprised at the steady stream of traffic.  So there I was with my fellow diners, ready to hit up the $7.99 all you can eat buffet. I have to admit, I was a little scared.  The sparse setting could be an indicator of food that is sparse as well.

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Fast, fresh, homestyle Indian food is the motto of Mumbai Bistro. Here, the main feature is the by- the- pound Indian buffet where everything goes for $4.95 a pound. During my lunch trip there was a steady stream of customers, but I was able to get my food and pay very quickly. A few tables are available in the small space.  The serving trays are reheatable, just be cautious when you carry your tray so your selections don’t mush into one Indian food blob.

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• Meal Ticket wants Desi Chaat House to bring on the heat. Their slideshow of chaat pics is lovely [Meal Ticket]
• A New Yorker falls in love with the Turkey Sandwich at Reading Terminal’s Original Turkey [The Blog that Ate Manhattan]
• A video clip of eco- friendly Green Eggs Cafe in South Philly shows us giant sandwiches [NBC Philadelphia]
• Can anyone report back on the recently opened Karmichael’s Cafe? [Meal Ticket]
• The cauliflower raviolo that comes with the halibut lunch at Lacroix is like an “exotic, Italianized soup dumpling” [The Inquirer]