 |
 |
 |
|
||||||
 |
|||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ethnic Eats: Indian by Suzanne Wright If you head out Ponce de Leon until it turns into Scott Boulevard, you’ll be in an area of town known to some as “Little India,” because of the proliferation of Indian restaurants. As someone who has traveled to India, loved the food and never once became ill (as so many travelers do), I can tell you that I am grateful to have Little India in Decatur. Although, in my opinion, Atlanta lacks the kind of white-tablecloth restaurants of say, London, we are blessed with a number of inexpensive Indian eateries along this spine. Here are a few of my favorites. Zyka My pal Barbara is a regular at Zyka, which specializes in North Indian cuisine. It’s a modest restaurant where every time she enters the friendly owner greets her with a big smile and chirps, “Hi, Cheryl.” She doesn’t have the heart to correct him. As you whiz by a raft of car dealerships, there sits Zyka, in an unremarkable brown building that could be mistaken for a church built in the 1970s. This is a DIY operation. There’s no table service: you order at the counter, and you also bus your own table. You eat with plastic forks and drink from a Styrofoam cup or plastic tumbler. The place seems to be bustling at all hours of the day and night (it’s open seven days a week, for lunch and dinner) with Indian families, non-Indian singles and couples of all hues. This is ground zero for multiculturalism. Barbara is a vegetarian (or vege, in Indian parlance), so she opts for dishes like the spicy okra or cauliflower. I like the chicken dishes. We both like the kulfi, Indian-style ice cream. Oh, and the low prices make it a magnet for nearby Emory students and their penny-pinching professors. Zyka Indian Restaurant, 1677 Scott Blvd., Decatur, GA 30033; (404) 728-4444. Madras Saravana Bhavan Head past North Dekalb Mall and cross over Highway 29 and Scott Boulevard changes names (again) to become Lawrenceville Highway. Located in a rather forlorn shopping center and in a weird karmic twist of fate, housed in a former Po’ Folks restaurant, is Madras Saravana Bhavan, or Madras for short. The clientele is overwhelmingly Indian — always a good sign — and the eatery serves only vegetarian dishes. Forget that you are a meat lover; the food is so good you can forgo animal flesh. In fact, I once held my birthday party here for a crowd of carnivores who also didn’t get to imbibe since they don’t serve alcohol. No matter; we had a ball. The service is just this side of disinterested, but the food is terrific. The menu is massive, so just order dishes you like in non-Indian restaurants, say the eggplant or spinach. Try the bhel puri, a beautiful mess of sweet and sour, crunchy and soft ingredients, and a masala dosai, a giant crepe rolled with spiced potatoes and sprigs of cilantro. For dessert, the rich, cinnamon-kissed carrot halva is comfort food the whole planet should know about. Madras Saravana Bhavan, 2179 Lawrenceville Hwy, Decatur, GA 30033; (404) 636-4400. Bollywood Masala Bollywood Masala is a sister restaurant to Madras Saravana Bhavan and located in the same shopping plaza. The difference? They serve alcohol and meat dishes. Consequently, here, you’ll find more Americans. Bombay movie posters enliven the walls and an infectious musical is always playing on the back wall. The black-clad servers are helpful with suggestions. Steer clear of the shrimp and seafood dishes and order the Bollywood Murg, a platter of chicken tikka, sizzling rice and vegetables in a coconut-based broth or the lamb curry, which is not too fiery. Sop up the sauce with onion kulcha. This festive spot will put a smile on your face. Bollywood Masala, 2201 Lawrenceville Hwy, Decatur, GA 30033; (404) 636-6614. Udipi Café Lively is an apt description for both the wholly vegetarian South Indian food and the clientele who flock to Udipi Café. The dining room’s rose-colored walls are a heady hint that the food to follow will be equally flamboyant. The dosai, thin rice or lentil crepes stuffed with spices, cauliflower, potatoes and onions, are legend and can easily serve several at a table. Indian pancakes called uthappapum are another tasty indulgence, laden with carrots, peas, tomatoes and onions. The creamy baigan bartha (eggplant curry) is also memorable and, unlike many of the other dishes, a less hot option. The naan comes in several varieties. If you want to sample a wide variety of items, the lunch buffet offered seven days a week is a bargain. Udipi Café, 1850 Lawrenceville Hwy, Ste 700, Decatur, GA 30033; (404) 325-1933. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
