Cuisine: Indian

As with Thai, I didn't try Indian food until I studied abroad in England. Due to Great Britain's colonial past in India, they have some of the best Indian in the world. In fact, the UK's national dish is chicken tikka masala (supposedly invented in Scotland). That says a lot about how amazing Indian food is...or how bad British food is!

Indian has the reputation for being spicy, and it often is. I'll never forget the time in Inverness, Scotland when I ordered chicken vindaloo. The waiter gave me a dubious look and said, "Why don't you try chicken korma instead?" Not being very adventurous at that point, I took his advice. It was still delicious--but one of the milder Indian curries.

Indian cuisine is also incredibly diverse, just as much as American regional cuisines. I don't claim to be an expert, but I do know that Indian dishes use delightful spices of cumin, turmeric, cardamom, chai masala, and many others. Basmati rice is a aromatic alternative to boring, plain brown rice.

There are many wonderful Indian restaurants right here in the States. Here are a few:

Taste of India, West Hartford: http://www.tasteofindiawh.com/index.htm

The food: I love their tikka masala (ginger, garlic, yogurt, tomatoes, and cream). Just the right blend of spices, and not so overpowering that you can't savor the taste. Dishes come with rice but don't forget to order garlic naan (unleavened bread baked in a clay oven) to scoop up that last bit of sauce.

The vibe: A small place, nicely decorated.

The value: Check out their specials! The lunch buffet has a wide variety of offerings and is a reasonable price for the amount of food.

Go for: Family dinner, lunch buffet


Masala, Hartford: http://www.masalafinedining.com/

The food: We went for the lunch buffet, so we tried a bit of everything. It was all good, though I still like Taste of India's buffet better. What sticks out most in my mind was the dessert, kheer (Indian pudding). It was the first time I'd tried it.

The vibe: Very hip, cool, a bit bohemian. It felt much more modern than most Indian restaurants seem to be.

The value: Slightly more expensive since it's in the city, but still much cheaper than most restaurants are.

Go for: Lunch with coworkers


Utsav Indian Cuisine, Vernon: http://www.utsavcuisine.com/ (ignore the garish website, because this restaurant is actually quite good!)

The food: This was the first Indian restaurant I went to in the U.S. Let's just say, I was not prepared for how spicy some of the food would be, particularly my friend's rogan josh (lamb curry)! But it's nice that here you can specify to your waiter how spicy you'd like your dish to be.

The vibe: Well, it was a long time ago, so I'm afraid I don't quite remember! But I have to give a shout-out to the waiters because when I was here with a large group of friends (many who were new to Indian food) they were nice enough to give us free samples of appetizers to try.

The value: Pretty standard prices.

Go for: First time Indian


What are some other good Indian places, either in CT or further afield?