The editorial policy of this magazine has always been hands-off when it comes to this column. I have never been told which restaurants to visit or what to write about them. I have, however, received some slight pressure from the editor in the past year to review an Indian restaurant. I have had maybe a half-dozen mediocre Indian meals in my life and certainly did not feel qualified to write intelligently about this cuisine. So when I realized we had acquaintances who could help with this venture, my problem was solved. The friends, a Pakistani couple who happen to be excellent cooks, have lived in this country for more than 20 years. They were delighted to join us and provide some much-needed expertise.
They chose The Dhaba, a relatively new establishment. The menu, for me at least, was daunting as there were so many choices. Fortunately, we were able to leave the choosing to our guides. We started with an assortment of appetizers. We had samosas, fried patties stuffed with peas, potatoes, cashews, and raisins. They were crisp and not at all greasy. Pakoras are vegetables (cauliflower, potato, and onion in this case) dipped in chickpea batter laced with spices and deep-fried. For our third appetizer we chose potato patties served with mustard seeds, red chilies, and cilantro. They were all unusual and all delicious.
We ordered three different kinds of bread to accompany our meal. The first was plain naan, the traditional flat, round Indian white bread. Our second choice was onion kulcha, white flour bread stuffed with onions and cilantro. Our final selection was lachha paratha, a flaky layered bread. I could have made a meal just of these breads; they were all exceptional and were great for mopping up the various sauces.
The four of us shared a variety of entrees. Seekh kabab beef was a ground beef skewer flavored with herbs and spices and charcoal grilled. The karahi chicken was cooked in a wok and flavored with ginger, chilies, cilantro, and other spices. We also had beef korma, seasoned with garam masala and served in a yogurt sauce. A bowl of daal, Delhi-style lentils, was almost a soup of tiny lentils flavored with ginger. For our final dish we ordered the biriyani mutton. For the uninitiated such as I, you should know that when you see mutton on an Indian menu, they're talking about goat. It was my first exposure to goat meat and, while I loved the biriyani (rice cooked with saffron, almonds, cashews, raisins, and star anise), I found the goat to be a bit dry and stringy. The biriyani is also offered with a choice of chicken, shrimp, or vegetables, so I can enjoy it another time. The spices and flavors of this food are very different from what we are used to eating. All of it, however, was delicious.
My partner and I enjoyed everything we ate, but what do we know? Our guests, who actually know what they're talking about, concurred, and felt that this was one of the best Indian/Pakistani restaurants in Lexington. They said the food was of superior quality, the ambience nicer than most, and the portions very large for an Indian restaurant.
In the interest of making this a complete experience, we sampled three desserts; they did not measure up to the quality of the rest of the meal and our guests were of the opinion that they were purchased rather than made in-house. We ordered rice pudding (very different from American as it is quite soupy) and I had some experience here as I had previously tasted some excellent Indian rice pudding made by our dinner guests in their home; this could not hold a candle to theirs. Neither the milk and honey pastry nor the carrot halwa were very good either. So I recommend you eat your fill of the rest of the food and skip the dessert.
This sumptuous feast plus a beer and two glasses of wine cost bit over $125; it was a bargain. Now that we've been educated we'll go back. I recommend you try it.
The Dhaba
735 E. Main St.
Lexington, KY 40502
(859) 425-4050