New place opened yesterday in the space that was most recently Smokey J’s and long ago I think the Omnivore (logo was a gorilla wearing a chef’s toque)?
They’ve had a food truck for a few years and are still operating it at lunch, so for now the place is dinner only. Currently open 5:30-9:30 Tues.-Sat. We got there around 8:30 on Wednesday and were the last party to come in. Second place I’ve been to with a NO CASH policy. (The guy at Augie’s said it reduced his insurance premiums.)
Dahi vada ($10). This was fantastic. Hard to imagine how they can make lentil dumplings so light. Would have tried the bonda but they were out.
Pulao ($5), mild but very nice.
They were out of the game hen so we got the sabzi ($13). Kind of a spicy Indian ratatouille.
Phulka ($1 each) were very thin and about as big around as corn tortilla.
I guess I missed the button when I thought I took the remaining photos.
The lamb kebab ($17) was excellent and medium-rare as ordered.
Raita ($3) was delicious and the spiciest thing we had. Coriander chutney ($3) was excellent. Black urad dal ($5) was nice though bland and mild compared with the other dishes.
That was plenty of food for two, next time I might order a little less. The vada, sabzi, phulka, and raita were all different from anything I’ve had before. Overall I’d say the quality is similar to Ajanta.
We now have three good restaurants within a short walk of my house. Maybe the neighborhood is slowly gentrifying.