faves in the hood - indian

there are actually quite a few indian restaurants in my neighborhood which i have gone to; but i think my favourite is Mumtaz on third avenue between 84th and 85th streets. there used to be a Kripy Kreme right next door, it was the absolute perfect combination. anyway, Mumtaz is kinda like most indian restaurants, lots of red tapestries on the walls and ceilings, small metal lanterns and the music. there's something about it that always makes me want to start swaying in my seat. we used to go to another place called Simla with Cath and O when they lived in the city. they knew us there pretty well and they would always give us those chese curd balls that have that rosewater syrup for free at dessert; but they tasted kinda flowery. we never wanted to hurt their feelings by not eating them so we tried to get odalys to eat them all. i think we started telling them that we were lactose intollerant or something to get them to stop. there's a Tamarind close by that's pretty good, and Dakshin is just a couple of blocks away. the Great India restaurant, and India grill both closed some time back. that was a shame 'cause India grill had an all you can eat lunch on the weekends. anyway, Mumtaz is now the indian of choice for me. i like pretty much anything on the menu but i love the mullighatawany soup, the samosas, the chicken tikka masala, the chana saag, the aloo palak...oh and those big fluffy poori and the garlic nan, and the paratha. i guess i could just go on and on. whenever we go to any of them though i always think of Cath and O and how i used to start swaying in my seat to the music and say that i was going to get up, stuff some chutney in my navel and start dancing. Mumtaz doesn't have a website but they've gotten some good write-ups on-line, which i've linked over there on the side, and here's a picture i took. i know it looks dumpy on the outside but really, if you're a fan of indian food and you see yourself in this neighborhood it is worth a try.

MUMTAZ