9308 Elk Grove Blvd Ste 100 (corner of Elk Grove Blvd and Waterman), Elk Grove, CA 95624.
(916) 478-4444      
http://www.bestpizzaandcurry.com/index.htm

This is a quickie review. A friend and I trekked out to Elk Grove this week to 1st Choice Pizza and Curry to satiate our curiosity and our hunger. Italian and Indian?  Hmmm? That's a fusion that could work. I had heard about this place through friends and wanted to try the much talked about butter chicken pizza. Turns out the butter chicken pizza is pretty good and the mixture of flavors works well together. We got the mild and the flavors of cumin, coriander, garam masala, chili etc. were detectable but not overwhelming. They do have a spicier version as well for those of you who like a little extra kick. The medium pizza ($14.99) we got came with eight slices and the dough was a regular pizza crust. (I would have loved it if it had been a naan crust.)

The restaurant is located in a large strip mall. It has seating and serves beer and wine but the atmosphere is super casual, similar to a fast food eatery. You order and pay at the counter, then they bring the pizza out to your table when it's done. Service is polite and efficient. The menu states that they also make chicken curry pizza, veggie masala pizza and Malai paneer pizza in addition to the butter chicken. Additionally, they carry several "regular" pizzas (and gluten-free pizzas), as well as a variety of traditional Indian dishes such as saag chana, tandoori chicken and paneer tikka masala. They also have mango lassi and various premade/packaged Indian sweets (rasmalai, gulab jamun, mango kulfi, kheer, and pista Kulfi.

My friend and I both liked the pizza we had. Not enough to drive out from Midtown to Elk Grove for it again but if we were in the area, we'd definitely stop by or get takeout. By the way, for those who do live out there, 1st Choice Pizza and Curry currently will deliver within a 3-mile radius.

1315 21st Street, Sacramento, CA 95811. (916) 441-7100
http://www.bombaybarandgrillsacramento.com

This past Monday, I had the pleasure of grabbing dinner and catching up with two girl friends. A bit of thought had to go into choosing where to meet up as it was a holiday (Veteran's Day, so some restaurants were closed) and we had one vegan amongst us. I had heard fairly good things about Bombay Bar and Grill next to Pieces Pizza on 21st Street; so in honor of Diwali, we decided to dine there.

The interior of Bombay Bar and Grill is quite impressive, you almost feel like you're inside a genie's bottle. The walls are done up in warm jewel tones and the windows are adorned with playful swags of fabric and fancy tassels. Upon entering, we were greeted with wafts of exotic spices coming from the kitchen then seated in a gold toned half-booth. I had heard that they had an extended happy hour that went from 2-7 pm, that was supposed to be a big draw; however, we were informed that the happy hour drink and food menu was reserved for the bar area. Really? The bar area looked totally dead, so we opted to retain our seats in the comfy dining room. We started out with a round of cocktails. Since everyone else was ordering specialty cocktails, I thought I'd give it a go and ordered a concoction called The Midtown Shuffle. Based on the description I was picturing a light refreshing drink but what I ended up getting was a glass of something that tasted akin to cherry NyQuil; this didn't turn out to be a big problem though, as after a few sips of the super strong beverage, I couldn't taste the drink anymore and had a nice buzz going.

We began our meal with the Himalayan Appetizer which was basically a pupu platter (a little of everything) of various fried Indian goodies. We received (4 of each) pakoras, naan strips, samosas and vegetable momos along with some chutney. It was one of the better sampler platters that I've had in town, for less than $10 you have enough bite-sized pieces to share for 3-4 people. It's easy to split up, everything is vegetarian and no one ends up feeling gypped. My only gripe was that the naan was a bit bland. For dinner, I decided to check out their chicken mushroom masala. You can either order this a la carte or upgrade to the traditional Indian Thali meal for $4 extra. The Thali meal is kind of their version of an "extra value meal"- it includes basmalti rice, raita, vegetable curry, dal and naan- all on a metal tray. (Raita is a type of mild yogurt dip and dal is similar to a lentil mash.)  My main dish was okay; boneless chicken cubes seasoned with garlic and sliced mushrooms mixed with a spicy, creamy sauce. The sauce had a nice layering of spices but it wasn't overly spicy (they ask you if you like it mild, medium or spicy when you place your order). If I could do my order over, I think I should have ordered my meal a la carte. I found my main course to be decent but the sides were pretty forgettable.

Service was a bit spotty. Our waitresses were polite but I found that every time they brought out drinks or dishes to our table they had to ask, "Whose is this?" I know I sound like I'm nit-picking but as an ex-waitress this drives me a bit batty when it occurs continuously through the meal and the conversation gets interrupted. A good waitress should have some sort of system in place so they (or the expediter) can place the food or drink in front of the correct diner without having to repeatedly interrupt. At one point the table next to us got the wrong check, they passed it over to us thinking it was ours (it wasn't) so we hailed down a nearby waitress and explained to her that the check must be someone else's. She flipped open the billfold and the first words out of her mouth were that the check didn't belong to her tables and then she acted as though she was doing us a favor by finding its rightful owner. I doubt my dining partners took much notice of this small exchange but I was slightly annoyed. Not to sound rude, but take the damn check and go deal with it...find the right table, go find the waitress it belongs to, whatever...I don't care, just don't tell me it's not your problem because it's certainly not mine.

My last impression of Bombay Bar and Grill was a favorable one though. Our waitress didn't seem to mind that we lingered a little longer than most diners post-dinner while we caught up on girltalk and as we exited, both our waitress and the front end hostess paused to call out friendly "thank you's" and "good night's." It was a nice way to close out our dinner. Overall though, I prefer the Indian meals I've had at Kathmandu Kitchen and Mati's (RIP). The meals there tend to be more flavorful, a bit bigger in portion size and less pricey. I did like the location and vibrant decor of Bombay Bar and Grill (love the deep fuchsia colored walls in the ladies room) but I don't think the food impressed me enough to make a return trip.

It must be "baby season" again. Seems like a lot of my friends are welcoming little bundles of joy into their lives this summer. One of my girl friends, Susan, just had her first baby so my friend Rose and I made arrangements to visit and bring a few meals for the new mother and her family. Now Susan's vegetarian and her hubby doesn't do cheese so I was in a bit of a quandary as to what to make; however, I finally decided on a batch of mild coconut milk curry with chickpeas and lentils (since I know Susan loves Indian food) as well as some wild rice salad and some baked goods. I figured that would give them a variety of things to munch on if they didn't feel like cooking. Of course I made a skosh more so that I could have some for lunch tomorrow....mmmm!


Coconut Milk Chickpea and Lentil Curry (adapted from Sweet Sugar Bean)

Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients

3 tablespoons canola oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 carrots, diced
3 tablespoons mild Indian curry paste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 (28oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 (13.5oz.) cans of coconut milk
2 cups whole green lentils, rinsed and picked through
2 cans (15 oz.) cooked chickpeas, rinsed
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups fresh cauliflower florets
1 cup frozen peas
couple of dashes of hot sauce (optional)
handful of cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat canola oil on medium heat. Add chopped onions, cook until onions are soft.

2. Add garlic, ginger, red pepper, carrots, curry paste, spices and salt. Stir. Cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, chickpeas, lentils, tomato paste and honey. Bring to a boil. Stir well.

4. Cover. Reduce to simmer. Cook for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add cauliflower and peas. Cook for about 20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.

6. Add a handful of chopped cilantro.

7. Adjust seasonings if necessary. (At this time, add a few splashes of hot sauce if you want it slightly spicier.)

8. Serve hot by itself or over rice.

9. (Optional) Garnish with plain yogurt, cilantro or chopped peanuts.

1501 16th Street #109, Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 341-0532
www.matisindianexpress.com

My friends and family know that one of my biggest pet peeves is discourteous behavior. Whether it's a friend that continually flakes, a car that cuts you off on the freeway or a salesperson with a nasty attitude-- rude behavior is rude behavior. Now I know a lot of people who go out to eat and say as long as the food is good they could care less about the customer service. I'm not one of those people. I'm just not...customer service matters to me. Maybe it harkens back to my hostessing and waitressing days but I feel that customer service IS an integral part of the dining experience. I do believe that bad service can completely ruin a meal...trust me, I've had it happen. On the flip side, a good dining service experience can make a meal. Anyhow, I bring this topic up because I usually don't write about "fast" food establishments but I wanted to comment about the service at Mati's Indian Express.