A Taste of India (West Hartford, CT)

I have admittedly little experience when it comes to Indian food.  The few times I have had it I’ve absolutely adored it, but I never took the initiative to seek it out.  As I was thinking of places to take my boyfriend to celebrate his birthday, I knew I wanted to treat him to something unique, spicy, and delicious.  I was never a huge fan of spicy food until we met and started cooking together.  I’d eat it, but I never sought it out–so I thought something spicy & unlike anything we’d had before could be a fun birthday adventure.

In my undergraduate days at Hartt, I had driven by A Taste of India many times, while the school shuttle bus catered me to the mall as a freshman, while friends drove me places, and while I was learning all the ways to get lost in West Hartford.  & I always thought to myself, “Ooo! Indian food!  I should check that place out!,” but never did…for 8 years.  You know what they say, “the best laid plans of mice & men…”.

Yet, that night we finally found ourselves there.  As we walked from the parking lot towards the restaurant, I could smell that this was probably going to be a great meal.  Then when we walked in the door, I knew that I was in for a meal that would not be forgotten any time soon.

A Taste of India (photo from yelp.com)

A Taste of India is a relatively small restaurant, which seems to be family-owned & operated.  I loved that we didn’t have just one server–several employees came to clear dishes, deliver food, refill water & drink, etc.  There was a great sense of shared responsibility, which translated to a shared pride in their little operation.

We were given a crispy flatbread/cracker-type bread which I believe was papadum.  It had a slight kick to it, and came with three different sauces for dipping.  I have no idea what they were, but I know that I’ve seen them served with this bread before, in my limited Indian food experience.  So if anyone knows, I’d love to find out! (side note: I apologize for the not-so-great photos…I forgot to bring my camera, so I had to use my iPhone camera!)

papadum?

the mystery dipping sauces...any guesses?

First, we ordered the naan stuffed with paneer cheese & herbs.  I was really excited to finally eat paneer cheese–I am a huge fan of Aarti Sequeira (the most recent Food Network Star, who has got me all hot & bothered about trying Indian food & making Indian dishes at home), and her recipes often call for paneer cheese but I haven’t found a store yet that sells it (okay, well, that’s a lie–I’m sure there is one in Hartford, but I am lazy and shop at Stop & Shop).  Anyway, not only was the paneer cheese great (and homemade!), but the naan we were served was the best naan I’ve ever had.  It was thin, yet chewy, and something about the way it smelled made me feel like I was in heaven!

the heavenly paneer naan.

We also ordered the meat samosas, which were stuffed with ground lamb meat (& of course various herbs & spices).  They were huge and delicious.  They came with this divine sauce that we both went crazy over, so when a server came over to clear our appetizer plates, I asked him what it was.  He said it was a tomato & tamarind sauce, and asked, “it was good for you?” with a huge smile on his face.

Pause.

This was a very important moment for me.  Most people who know me would laugh at the idea that I am a shy person.  But I really am.  The thought of asking someone something mildly personal, like what something is to a waiter at an ethnic restaurant, usually makes me feel all jittery inside.  But this sauce was so delicious that I had to find out.  The uncontainable pride that this man showed when we said we absolutely loved it was amazing.  He was so proud that we were curious about the food that he & his family & friends cook with love every day for the people of Hartford–the food of his homeland, the recipes of his youth.  It was amazing.  That experience has inspired me to be more daring when it comes to asking people about their culture’s food–because people are proud of it.  And they should be!  And we should all celebrate that by eating a whole lot, and asking a whole lot of questions.

Okay…back to where we were.

I did some internet reserach and I believe the tomato & tamarind sauce we had is called imlee.  I made a note of it so that I could look up a recipe, and found at least one promising one, although I think I’ll keep looking to see what else is out there.

meat samosas & the imlee sauce!

Then, our main meals.  Here’s where things got REAL.

First, you need to know that at A Taste of India, you can order pretty much any dish to the spice level of your choosing: mild, extra mild, hot, and extra hot.  We both chose “hot.”

I ordered the lamb curry, and was expecting a relatively mild dish (mild in the, “look, I put cayenne pepper on EVERYTHING & I’d eat red curry paste with a spoon, so what you probably consider spicy is nothing in my book” kind of way).

Was I ever wrong.

I took one bite, and the tender meat and sauce were infused with so much flavor and so much spice that I immediately felt the burning all over my mouth, throat, and lips.  I loved it.  My boyfriend ordered the “Chicken Chili,” which is an incredibly misleading name for the resulting dish.  As you can see, it’s not chili in the way we think of it in America.  It was big chunks of chicken, green bell peppers, and onions, seasoned with an intense combination of spices.  If we had been standing to eat this meal, I honestly think we both would have been quite literally brought to our knees.

the lamb curry. I loved the serving dish!

the chicken "chili"

Still, our meals were not spicy in an uncomfortable, unpleasant way–the best way I can think to put it is to use a phrase that one of my roommates used to describe a strong yet delicious martini I made for her (limoncello, ketel one orange, and pomegranate juice…yum): “…it commands your attention.”

I love that phrase because it can be used to describe food that is often, well, hard to describe.  This meal certainly fit the bill.  The flavor was intense, made my entire mouth area burn, and actually made me sweat–but it was also sinfully delicious.  This was not a meal you could rush through, or shove carelessly into your mouth & be done with it.  It really did command your attention.  The clear artistry and expertise the chefs here have about how to blend and use spices is truly elegant.

Now, if you’re not into spicy food, no worries–like I said, you can order your food mild.  And to me, that is the most amazing feature of this place–they can tailor this culture’s cuisine to suit your “spicy threshold,” allowing you to get the flavor of the cuisine & enjoy it without feeling that uncomfortable burning if you don’t want to.

They put it best on their website:

“Each dish has its own distinctive flavor and aroma, which cannot come from any Curry Powder, but from spices which have to be separately prepared each day afresh for each individual dish making your experience a most memorable one. The blending and preparation of spices is a centuries old craft and indispensable to Indian cuisine.”

You can simply get, if you so desire….(wait for it…)….A TASTE OF INDIA!  (Oh man.  OH MAN!  I couldn’t help myself.  I’m sorry!)

We will definitely be back again.  It was a great dining experience on all fronts–we adored the staff and the food.  I also happen to live really close…and they also happen to do take-out and delivery.  I might be in trouble…or heaven, depending on how you look at it.  All I know for sure is that I will be needing to restock my acid reflux pills very soon in preparation.

& that’s a very, very good (and delicious) thing.

March 2, 2011. Tags: connecticut, ct, food, hartford, hartford county, indian food, west hartford. Uncategorized. 1 comment.