Restaurant Review: Minar

It was our first taste of Indian cuisine.  We were a bit skeptical but checked out the menu on line before visiting the quaint little eatery, maximum capacity 30 people.  It looked good. They had fish and all other possibilities appealing to both Ted and myself.

A warm fire on a cold night made the small room very welcoming as we walked in.

Flowers adorned the small tables and there were several guests talking and enjoying their meals.  Two servers were busily accommodating everyone.

As soon as we sat down, a basket of peppery crisp bread with assorted spreads was brought to the table.

We enjoyed a glass of wine each. Not a huge selection on the wine menu but the chardonnay and cabernet hit the spot. The selections are shown on top of the fireplace in the first photo.

I began with a garden salad, no bleu cheese or feta crumbles available in Indian cuisine, simply oil and vinegar….WHITE vinegar.

The salad was fresh. The pickles went to Ted and the onions were vacated from the plate’s premises. No onions tonight, please.

The menu offers many vegetarian selections.

Definitely something from everyone. Along with the vegetarian, there was fish, lamb, chicken, shrimp. 

Ted began with a chicken appetizer which he couldn’t remember the name and I didn’t take note of what he was ordering. I was too busy perusing the rest of the menu.

We ordered Naan, traditional Indian bread.  That was very good but filling.

We shared an appetizer which we thought was going to be presented like hummus but it wasn’t at ALL a spread…

Chat Papri.  Very different from what we’re used to.  I couldn’t identify the spice and the waiter had no clue.  In fact, every time I asked the waiter what was the spice or the pepper, he had no idea. His response “Indian spices”.  DAH!

A huge serving of rice with Ted’s meal that we shared. 

And.. SURPRISE!  I found the spice in the rice!

My meal was Fish Vindaloo with the Vegetable Jal Frozi to share

The dinner, actually BOTH of our dinners were very good. A bit too saucy for me even though I asked for very little sauce.  We stuffed ourselves.

Still, there was room for coffee. Dark and very strong smelling but when we tasted it, the coffee was smooth with a prominent cocoa/mocha taste. WOW! That was GOOD!

A very good first experience with Indian cuisine. I really recommend trying Minar’s for a change of pace.  One suggestion:  If you’re a runner and have a race the following day, don’t do it! The food is spicy.

What’s your favorite Indian dish?