CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/19024
Where to eat Shalimar Shalimar, the newest player on Fayetteville’s Southeast Asian restaurant scene, is rapidly gaining popularity with locals. The menu favors the flavors of northern India, with dishes like malai chicken kebab and lamb rogan josh. However, Chef Luke Rosario has also created blends of spices that are unique to Shalimar and adopted flavors originally celebrated by the Mughal Kings of ancient India. Naans, the delicious flatbreads typically served with Indian meals, at Shalimar are baked in an authentic tandoor clay oven, which gives the breads and the other tandoori items their distinctive earthly flavor. Shalimar | 3401 Raeford Rd. | 910.433.4351 Bombay Bistro That the menu at Bombay Bistro draws heavily on foods favored in Bombay should not be a surprise. It’s right there in the restaurant’s name, after all. Bombay Bistro has been successful in serving typical hearty items such as samosas, palak paneer and paneer makhani. Buffets at Bombay Bistro are an event in themselves, as they offer an array of items and showcase a variety of spice blends. The cozy decor of the restaurant, with its walls of Indian artwork, provide a perfect backdrop for the filling and flavorful food. Bombay Bistro | 5945 CliffdaleRd | 910.487.0020 Marquis Bistro at the Doubletree Hotel People are often surprised to learn that delicious and authentic Indian food can be found inside the Doubletree Hotel on Cedar Creek Road. The hotel’s restaurant, the Marquis Bistro, has a menu of more expected foods like sandwiches and pastas, but with several delightful Indian surprises added to the mix. The Marquis Bistro’s head chef of Indian Cuisine, Sabrata Bag, hails from India, and the food’s preparation and tastes reflect that. By eating the food there, diners are instantly transported to the busy streets of ancient Delhi where these dishes, like chicken curry, biryani and more, were born. Marquis Bistro | 1965 Cedar Creek Rd. | 910.323.8282 Indian Food 101: v MALAI: Cream v NAAN: Flat bread, often cooked in an clay oven v TANDOOR: Clay oven, typical to northern parts of India. Used to cook Naan and meat items v PALAK: Spinach v PANNER: Indian cheese textured similar to tofu v MAKHANI: Butter/cream sauce v BIRYANI: Basmati rice created with saffron, nuts, vegetables and unique blend of spices 10 Things to know about India India has the world’s largest movie industry, based in the city of Mumbai. The B in “Bollywood” comes from Bombay, the former name for Mumbai. Almost all Bollywood movies are musicals. India’s pastoral communities are largely dependent on dairy and have made India the largest milk- producing country in the world. India is the world’s largest producer of dried beans, such as kidney beans and chickpeas. It also leads the world in banana exports; Brazil is second. India is the world’s largest tea producer, and tea (chai) is its most popular beverage. The national fruit of India is the mango. The national bird is the peacock, which was initially bred for food. Most Indians rinse their hands, legs, and face before eating a meal. It is considered polite to eat with the right hand, and women eat after everyone is finished. Wasting food is considered a sin. CityViewNC.com | 31