India Gate

1116 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo

In the mood for something other than burgers and wings, we settled on heading down to India Gate for dinner on a Thursday night. Located just a few blocks from Buff State College, India Gate sits right near Pano's, Cole's, and Mr Goodbar. Luckily we found parking right across the street and headed into the restaurant where we were quickly sat at a table. Overall the restaurant wasn't empty, but they had plenty of seating available.

We ordered Kingfisher Beer as we read over the menu which had plenty of vegetarian options as well as many dishes for the carnivores. Unable to decide on which appetizers we wanted, we settled on the Mixed Platter which came with a large assortment of the appetizers on the menu. Unfortunately, I don't think I could name everything on the plate but I can tell you what I am pretty certain was there. (I'm rather quickly learning a lot about Indian food, both at restaurants and how to cook it in my kitchen)

What I am certain was there is: alu mater samosa (potato pastry), alu tikki (potato pastry, similar to a knish), gobi pakora (cauliflower fritters), beef samosa (beef pastry), paneer pakora (breaded fried cheese), chicken tikka (pieces of grilled chicken). The potato pastry and beef pastry were large and flaky and quickly favorites of both. The paneer was really good too, espeically with a bit of the green chutney on it. The chicken was only ok, it seemed a bit dry to both of us.

For dinner we ordered lamb jalfraize (at the suggestion of the server) and lamb curry with orders of keema naan (ground lamb stuffed bread) and onion kulcha (baked pita bread with onion) on the side. When the food arrived, we realized we had enough food for probably a group of four and we dug in.

The curry was excellent, but not spicy enough for my taste (my friend ordered his mild). A bit more red chili powder would have helped it out a bit. My lamb jalfraize was really good and perfectly spicy for me. One of the many things I love about Indian food is the blend of so many spices and flavors coming together to form the dish. These certainly did not disappoint and there was plenty left over for lunch the next day.

If you can find a group of people willing give it a shot (for some reason Indian food seems to scare many people I talk to) head down to India Gate and order a mix of food from the menu. The dishes are all served separate from the plates, which really encourages sharing. Mix it up and I'm certain everyone will find something they like.

One final note is that India Gate is owned by the same people that own Taste of India on Sheridan Drive. While I have not been to the restaurant on Sheridan, it shares the same menu. My friend (from India) says that Taste of India is the most authentic and best Indian food around here. I'll say that the same should apply to India Gate (he hasn't been there).

Overall: nom nom nom