Thursday, February 28, 2013

Tandoor Char House in Lincoln Park




Tandoor Char House
2652 N. Halsted
Chicago, IL 60614
Phone: (773) 327-2652

info@tandoorchicago.com

We have been waiting a long time to go to Tandoor again. Yes again. We came here once before and walked out with grins on our faces and food babies to take home.
So I came here expecting the same experience…

Just as Cumin filled our noses with Indian spices when we walked in, the smell of incense filled our nostrils. It reminded me of my Mom always lighting incense after her long day of cooking. I loved the nostalgia.

Many Indian restaurants carry Bollywood rhythms and or/ classical, instrumental tunes with soft beats.  Tandoor definitely had an eclectic music mix, with tunes such as “Abyss” by Karsh Kale & Anoushka Shankar.   This made the ambiance feel modern, peaceful, and experiential.

We went on a Monday afternoon, so the chatter, clinking glasses and rumbles of a busy restaurant didn’t exist during this experience, only the steady flow of customers picking up their To-go orders (which was quite frequent during our lunch).  The setup required us to walk a couple steps to find our table. I understand why there might be a wait on a busy night because the restaurant space is cozy.

Our waitress was extremely nice and very knowledgeable about the various dishes. As we contemplated our appetizers, she played various roles, including waitress, hostess and bus boy, probably since it wasn’t busy at the time.

We were immediately served with large sized salads that included cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion (rice & salad included with each entrée). This made me actually want more appetizers! The last time I came here, the vegetable samosas were superb, so why try something new? That’s what I thought, but I couldn’t help wonder about those beef samosas. I decided to go outside my norm and try the beef samosas...I ended up wishing I stayed inside my norm. The beef samosas weren’t terrible; it just had too much ground beef and no distinct taste. The crust was still amazing, but after this experience, vegetable samosas are just better in general.

Complimentary Salad Included with Entrees

Beef Samosas

Next up, the chicken karhai. I was expecting an onion-based curry sauce as described in the menu, but it end up being more tomato-based. It was interesting to say the least. I’m usually not a fan of tomato-dominant taste, but this was delicious. It consisted of boneless white meat, green peppers and a couple other vegetables.  We asked for it to be spicy, but it didn’t have too much of a kick.  Next time we’ll ask for extra spicy, or just try something with more heat.

Chicken Karhai

Continuing on my quest to go outside the box, I went with the paratha instead of the usual naan. Paratha is flat unleavened bread, popular across various regions of India. It’s similar to naan, but it’s made with whole wheat flour.  It lacked a certain flavor I’m used to with paratha, so if anything, I would just recommend to order naan.

Onto my favorite parts of the meal – lamb tandoor and dessert.  The lamb tandoor was amazing. It came out in a sizzlin’ plate with green peppers, onions, red peppers and spices. The boneless meat was extremely tender and juicy, and cooked to the right temperature.  I paired with the rice, raita (yogurt) and the curry from chicken karhai. It was food heaven.

Tandoori Lamb Boti Kabob

After trying going outside our norms on the appetizers and bread, we decided to stick with our go-to dessert and order gulab jamun. I can’t say how happy I was – served in a medium-sized martini glass, it combined sweet deliciousness with a hint of classiness.

Gulab Jamun

Overall, my second run of Tandoor proved to be just as good as the first one. I definitely would order different items the next time I go to expand my horizons at this place, but would probably stick with the standard naan and gulab jamun (just because they are delicious here!)

Joe’s Mango Lassi Review- Probably the largest portion size so far, about 12 oz, but it was slightly more tangy than I prefer.  I added a little ice to cool it down, but that’s not an issue at all considering the lack of ice is what delivered the huge portion size.  All in all it was a decent Lassi.  3.5 out of 5.                                                

So what’s the score? (Out of 5)
Price: $$ ($14 -21 per entrée)
Service: 5.0
Ambiance:  3.0
Food: 3.5
Overall Rating: 3.8

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