Not just for vegan college students Raja’s Tandoor 207 Third Street in Davis, (530) 753-9664, www.rajastandoor.com Even food reviewers have favorite joints that we hit up time and again. Yes, the food might be better elsewhere, the beer selection wider, etc., but it’s by Garrett McCord hard for any chef or heirloom lettuce to beat out nostalgia or personal taste. That’s why I decided it was time to review Raja’s Tandoor in Davis. A place where as a student I spent many a lunch inhaling the buffet in a scene that could only be properly recounted in either a short story by Kafka or Lovecraft. Raja’s is located upstairs in a crotchety wooden building that was built to withstand a rating: nuclear bomb. Having been around for years, HHH 1/2 Raja’s enamored itself forever with the area’s ever-present student population with two simple Dinner for one: words: lunch buffet. $7 - $10 Part of what also set Raja’s Tandoor apart was its early offerings of multiple vegan and vegetarian options far before such diets were more commonplace. Rather than a few simple sides, Raja’s ensures that most of its entrees are vegan, though you will find chicken and the occasional tikka masala dishes as well. Aside from the fluffy on the inside, slightly singed on H flaweD the outside, terribly addictive naan, the bulk of the selections are also gluten-free. HH haS momenTS The potato-and-pea samosas are a meal in and of themselves. It is highly recommended HHH that you slather these with spicy chutney and appealing seasoned raita for an elegant hot-cold dish that HHHH can only be achieved in Indian cuisine. A tamaauThoriTaTive rind sauce is also available, but an overdose of HHHHH sugar brutalizes the fruit’s natural tart flavor, epic making it taste like an infused simple syrup. On a recent visit, the dal tasted heavy with turmeric, but lacking in mustard or cumin seed, leaving it somewhat bland. An egg curry with onion, cilantro and enough turmeric to dye a bolt of fabric was certainly yolky in flavor. The chicken coconut curry is served with the bones still in, which encourages either deft utensil skills or a simple acceptance that more napkins will be required. Regardless, it is achingly creamy with a hint of heat. The chana masala here is one of the best Still hungry? dishes by far. It usually tends to feature a Search Sn&r’s “Dining Directory” strong butter taste but is actually cooked with to find local canola oil here—you’d be surprised to learn restaurants by name it’s vegan. However, the tenderness of the or by type of food. chickpeas as well as the punch of the ginger Sushi, mexican, indian, italian—discover it and coriander makes it a dish worth returning all in the “Dining” for. The saag—spinach cooked down with section at coconut milk, ginger and chilies, and served www.news with paneer—has a perky heat and is earthier review.com. than a Steinbeck novel. A pudding of jasmine rice, whole milk and sugar is glorious in its simplicity. You would be remiss not to save room. The mango lassi is a bright and refreshing palate cleanser—a way to move from tikka masala to chana masala, from bhindi to tandoori BEFORE
|
NEWS
|
F E AT U R E
chicken. At $2 a glass, pick one up and spoil yourself. An anemic chai tea is also available, but instead of it being served as spices with tea and milk, this is more of a weak tea and milk with few spices. Avoid, avoid, avoid. Dinner at Raja’s won’t disappoint. The menu has set standard options, but lunch is where you’ll find unique dishes made on the fly by the kitchen, and everything is cooked with skill. However, Raja’s is a place for lunch where you race to snag a table before another group of students can and eat expertly crafted Indian food until you know that dinner won’t be a concern for the rest of the day.
The saag is earthier than a Steinbeck novel. There is better Indian food in the Sacramento region, yet Raja’s Tandoor offers flavorful Indian food—most of it vegan and vegetarian—in a slamming lunch buffet for $5.95. And you can also get it to go. Plus, Taranbir Chowdhury, the owner, is charming and knows his customers by name. When he asks you how you’re doing, he genuinely wants to know. There isn’t a question as to why Raja’s has such a following. It is the very definition of the favorite neighborhood restaurant. Ω
Healthy, happy blog
Since I loaned my vegan cookbooks to my cousin eight months ago—who has yet to crack one open (ahem, ahem)—I’ve had to turn elsewhere for recipe inspiration. SoCal-based Kathy Patalsky’s veganrecipe blog offers plenty of reasons to put the brakes on that guilt trip. Well, for now (I got my eye on you, kid!). Patalsky began blogging in 2006, and her crown jewel is her Healthy. Happy. Life. site (www.healthyhappy-life.com), where she posts appetizing concoctions with elegantly styled photos, which she shoots herself. She is obsessed with maple, so expect to see it frequently, especially in savory dishes, like the Maple-Pumpkin White Bean Quesadilla. And her cache of sweet-treat instructions will cause an exciting sugar—make that an agave high. I mean, Cake Batter Truffles, anyone? She published 365 Vegan Smoothies (Avery Trade, $20) last year, and will release a new cookbook in 2015.
STORY
meditation sant mat
on the inner light and the inner sound Free introductory class given by a regional speaker followed by optional free vegetarian lunch and discussion Sunday, March 2nd, 12 noon Sierra 2 Center, Curtis Hall 2791 - 24th St. Sacramento Know
—Shoka |
A RT S & C U LT U R E
Sant Baljit Singh
hyselfas Soul Foundation
™
916-492-2671 www.santmat.net
Copyright © 2013 Know Thyself as Soul Foundation, International |
AFTER
|
02.20.14
|
SN&R
|
23