India Garden - dj

247 E. Ontario Street
2nd Floor
Chicago, Il 60611
312.280.4910
“Culinary Nirvana”

To enter India Garden you go up some stairs that look like you are going to an insurance company not Culinary Nirvana, but when you arrive you find a very nicely decorated space over looking E. Ontario Street. There are floating rose pedals in brass bowls and Indian cloth hanging from the walls.

We visited on the weekend at lunch time the buffet was being served for $11.95. When we arrived at the table we were happily greeted with a sizzling dish of fried onions and tandoor chicken. The buffet line was filled with treats from mixed vegetables to daal to a mushroom and chicken dish. Everything was cooked to perfection.



If I lived in Chicago this would surely be a favorite place to visit.

Rating: ****
Service: impeccable

Kohinoor - dj

249 State Road 436 West #1093
Ethan Allen Plaza
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
407.788.6004
“Fine Indian Cuisine”
www.kohinoorindianrestaurant.com

Kohinoor has been a staple for Indian food in the Altamonte Springs area for at least the last 15 years, probable more. The food is always good here. I remember when this place opened it was decorated with the chairs and tables from the closed Darbar Indian restaurant down off of Sand Lake Road near I-Drive. They now have new tables and chairs and the dining room looks quiet nice.

We usually come here on the weekend to have the buffet ($8.00). It is always good. Today they had the usual fare; Butter Chicken, Curry Chicken, Channa Masala – chick peas cooked with onions, potatoes, and a variety of spices. There was also yellow dal fry and many other things to choose from. It was all excellent. The salad area had riata, onions, onion chutney, and the hottest little green peppers. We topped our meal off with a sweet lassie a yogurt drink.

The Gulab Jamun for dessert is always fabulous. It is a pastry ball that is made from fat free milk and fried and then is soaking in a honey rose water syrup. It is so good I always have to go back for another.

The dinning experience is always a good one here.

Rating: ****
Service: ***
Price: fare

Udipi Café - dj

1275 S. Highway 17-92
Longwood, FL 32750
407.696.7775
“Authentic South Indian Vegetarian Cuisine”

The Udipi Café is the latest reincarnation in the old Clay Oven on 17-92 in Longwood. The building looks tired. I would have thought that the new owners would have spruced the place up a bit, but sadly they have not. The ceiling has a myriad of things hanging from it; a fancy chandler that looks out of place, ceiling fans and more chandlers. We were the only Caucasians in the restaurant and it was full at 2PM on a Sunday afternoon, usually a good sign. We observed one of the customers coughing over the buffet without the slightest concern for turning away from the food or covering her mouth.

Since we were here and a buffet was available we had the lunch buffet $9.95. The food from the buffet was good, but I felt there was not enough selection. The basmati rice was dry and crunchy. Our waiter brought around a dosai that was also very good. It was stuffed with the usual curried potatoes.

For desert I had the Gajar Halwa. It was the best thing that I had at this restaurant. It is made of grated carrots and milk that is cooked down till it forms a dry mixture.

Next time I visit I’ll chose from the menu and get just the items that I want.

Rating: **
Service: ***
Price Weekend Buffet: $9.95

What others are saying:
Scott Joseph
Orlando Weekly

Punjab Indian Restaurant - dj

7451 International Drive
Orlando, Florida 32819
407.352.7887
punjabindianrestaurant.com/

We have not visited the Punjab Restaurant in a while, but we were in the Disney area and decided to make a return visit on the way home. The Punjab has always been one of our favorite Indian Restaurants. It turns out that our visit coincides with the eve of their 20th anniversary. The restaurant opened in 1988 at this location. There use to be a good landmark, to find the restaurant on I Drive it was behind the Dunkin Donut shop. Now it is behind the Everything for 1.99, not such a good landmark on I Drive.



The restaurant has changed little over the last 20 years, including the food. But they might just have the best Indian food this side of Brick Lane in London. We started our meal with Vegetable Samosas – crispy fried patties stuffed with spiced potatoes and peas. They were delicious; they were not a bit greasy, even though they were deep fried. Many years ago we ask the owner at what temperature they cooked them to get them that way. He just said “not to hot and not too cold just right”. We had Mango Lassi’s to drink. They were so thick that you could not drink them through the straws provided. They were to die for. For the main course we had our usual at the Punjab. Mater Panir – Homemade Cheese cubes cooked with fresh Peas in curry sauce and Aloo Gobi – Cauliflower and Peas cooked with Herbs and Spices. The food was fabulous it is amazing that it could be so consistent over all these years.







We had a conversation with the owner’s wife about our 17 year old children. There was a couple over in the corner that we would swear had been coming to this restaurant for the last 20 years as well. They also appeared to have a 17 year old son.

This restaurant might be a bit hard to find, but it is well worth looking for this diamond in the rough.

Rating: *****
Service: *****
Price Entrée: 12.95
Lassi: $3.50
Vegetable Somosa (2): $3.00

The Woodlands - dj

6040 S. Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32809
404.854.3330
http://www.woodlandsusa.com/

The Woodlands is a south Indian restaurant that caters to the vegetarian Hindu tradition. One of the main areas of the menu is dedicated to Dosai’s. These a giant crepe like pancakes probably 24 inches round, they are filled with a potatoes or other savory items and then loosely rolled up like a burrito.

We arrived on a Sunday morning at 11:20, the place was deserted but by 11:30 when the restaurant was set to open people started to arrive. We have been here on a special occasion day like Mother’s Day and there be a two hour wait. There were 4 of us here today so we split 3 dishes and 2 orders of Somosa’s.

Today we had:
Vegetable Samosa - Crispy Flaky Crust Stuffed with Potatoes & Peas.
Mutter Paneer - Peas and Cheese Cooked with Tomatoes, Onion and Indian Spices.
Vegetable Korma- Garden Fresh Vegetables Cooked in Spices and Coconut Milk.
Paper Masala Dosai - Thin Crispy Rice Crepe Filled with Potatoes & Onions.






The Samosa’s are always good, but one of ours was cool inside on this visit. Everything else was perfect. The Paneer a type of homemade cheese in the Mutter Paneer is always good. The Sweet Lassi was sweet yet sour and smooth. The side dish of Raita a cooling yougart salad is always nice to cool down for the flame form the curry.

We always have a nice meal at The Woodlands.
Closed on Monday
Rating: ***
Service: ****
Price: $42.00 for four

What others have said:
Orlando Weekly in 2003

Spice Café - DJ

7536 Dr. Phillips Blvd.
Orlando, FL 32819
407.264.0205
http://spicecafes.com

Spice Café located in the Dr. Phillips area prides itself as offering “Innovative North and South Indian Cuisine”. This little Indian restaurant is located in an out building of the Dr Phillips Marketplace just a stone’s throw from the old Darbar Indian Restaurant. It offers both indoor and outdoor seating.


The restaurant is nicely decorated with a modern color scheme. The seating area has about 20 tables inside and 5 wrought iron tables outside. There is a display case at the back of the restaurant where the daily specials are awaiting your selection. There were about 10 items to choose from. The meat dishes included Tandoori chicken, Lamb Shahi Korma, and Chicken Tikka Masala. The vegetable dishes included a Dal Special, vegetable curry, mushroom curry, and spinach curry. There was Basmati rice to go with each platter. There is also a full menu that can be ordered as well. The menu has the traditional Dosas from South India and all the other appetizers, breads and drinks that you would expect to find at an Indian restaurant.


I chose to get the lunch platter which consists of 2 side dishes, rice and Nan for $6.95. They also offer a larger platter that adds a Dal to the mix. My dishes were Tandoori chicken and Curried mixed vegetables. The Tandoori Chicken had the delicious smoky flavor that only a tandoori oven can provide. The mixed vegetable curry was of average flavor. The Nan was warm and buttery. One person in our party had the mushroom curry and Chicken Tikka Masala Lunch Platter Special which looked good. The other person had the Butter Chicken ordered from the regular menu. This was served in a tandoori red cream and butter sauce.


If you are in the Dr. Phillips area and are hungry for Indian this is a place that should definitely be considered.

Rating: ***
Service: ****
Price lunch special: $6.95
Other Reviews:
WESH
Orlando Weekly
My City Eats

Spice Cafe - DT

7536 Dr Phillips Blvd.
This could be the beginning of a curry phase for me. I told DJ that other than my wife’s curry dressing and the curry chicken wings at the church potluck this weekend, I had never been to an Indian restaurant. Several people within earshot piped up simultaneously “Spice Café”. I guess it must be good. It’s difficult to keep my expectations in check when it comes recommended by the crowd. I have nothing to compare this to so I truly did not know what I was about to experience.
Located across from the Albertson’s on Sand Lake and Dr. Phillips (I know, it’s not Winter Park), you will find this store in an upscale shopping strip. For lunch you can order from the menu or choose from several dishes already prepared at the counter. I had no idea what to get so I pointed to the chicken in a tomato cream sauce and hot mushrooms and onions in a dark broth. I determined later that I must have ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala. Lunch is served with basmati rice and toasted pita bread or “nan”. I was able to sample the Butter Chicken, another tomato and cream basd chicken dish as good as the Masala. I sat eating my meal thinking how will I describe this. I just have no idea how it was prepared. I can’t even compare this to another Indian restaurant. So I just let go and enjoyed. The mild tomato cream sauce is a busy mixture of spices and flavors that I couldn’t even begin to inventory. The mushrooms and onions were cooked in a broth of garlic and curry and… other stuff… resulting in a rich, medium spicy complement to the chicken and rice. So for not knowing what to order, I threw the dart at the Spice Café menu and I was not disappointed.

Service: friendly
Portions: plenty
Atmosphere: clean, comfortable
Chicken Masala, vegetable, rice, nan, water: $7.40