Sunday: Dinner at Mono Loco: We decided on Mono Loco for dinner before the Ryan Adams show. I ordered the Pork Tamale and a Mojito. Both of them were pretty much perfect. For some reason I always forget about Mono Loco when we’re trying to decide where to eat, which is a shame, because it is always good. The tamale was moist and was stuffed with plenty of pork. If you’re ever trying to decide where to eat with me, suggest Mono Loco. I’ll buy you a Mojito for your kindness!
Monday: Lunch at Himalayan Fusion: The quest for an Indian restaurant I approve of continues! I’ll begin by saying that Himalayan Fusion is the best Indian Restaurant in Charlottesville. Unfortunately, that’s still not saying much. IMHO, the dishes on their buffet are much more representative of home cooked indian food, namely, they don’t toss in nineteen sticks of butter to try to cater to American tastes like most other Indian restaurants. Unfortunately, they suffer from their own failures in attempting to adapt Indian food to the American pallet: blandness. It is definitely possible to make curries that don’t sear the inside of your mouth without dampening the boldness of their flavors, but the food at Himalayan Fusion tasted watered down. This place has potential, though, and I’m anxious to go back for dinner sometime to see how it fares compared to the buffet.
Tuesday: Lunch at O’Neils: I’m back for the $2.50 burger! I learned two things on this particular visit. You can get Mushroom & Swiss on your burger, and a $2 Blue Moon counts as a beverage. For $4.50 we each had a beer, burger, and fries. That’s pretty much unbeatable. Be sure to tip your server on the menu price of the meal!
Wednesday: Lunch at Lee’s Grill: I got the Teriyaki Chicken again. It was delicious. If you haven’t made it out to Lee’s Grill yet, you really should give it a shot.
Thursday: Lunch at Fat Daddy’s: I’ve passed by Fat Daddy’s a million times driving up and down 29, and I imagined to being a comfort food paradise inside with a deep fryer waterfall and a river of grease running through it. I was having my tires replaced at Sears this particular afternoon, and I walked across Rio and gave it a shot. I had a catfish sandwich and onion rings, and while they were very good, they weren’t much better than you’d expect a catfish sandwich and onion rings to be anywhere else. Now that my curiosity is sated, I don’t have a reason to go back.
Saturday: Lunch at Lime Leaf: I’ve written about Lime Leaf before, and my opinion stands. It is the best Thai restaurant in town. I’d even go as far to say it is the best Asian restaurant in town. I had the Shrimp Panang curry, and it was thick, rich, and delicious.
Anoop, the next time you’re at Himalayan Fusion, let them know of your “expected” level of spiciness, I’m sure they’ll accommodate you! Buffet unfortunately does cater to “everyone” with palates that are as varied as the autumn leaves in our town.
I agree with you about Lime Leaf, it’s my best thai in town as well!
I definitely understand that the food on the buffet has to lack fire. It does not, however, have to lack flavor. It’s very possible to cook Indian food and maintain the richness of its flavor and still keep it at low or no heat. On this particular visit, the food on the buffet tasted watered down. I will be trying it again, and like I said in my post, they have a lot of promise.
Also, my standards for Indian food are impossibly high. Until my mom opens a restaurant, I’ll be complaining about all of them.
Confessing ignorance as to the type of Indian food you grew up with . . . would Himalayan be likely to seem less flavorful to you? I do share your ambivalence about the new place . . . just curious.