01-IV-2004.
The shots for this evening are filed under 2nd of april, but I was on the train at the time, so the only possible day is this. And sure enough, there's an email from Gary saying „Hope all is going well with you. Go and see Mohan. He is waiting for your call and will show you a good time. He could use one himself.“.
So it happened that the little Ramada hotel on Lexington was owned (and franchise paid by) some Hindu family, and that the surrounding few blocks are called „Little India“. Likewise, there are a few other little countries around town. So when he appeared at the hotel lobby, we only had to go two blocks to a place where we can eat something properly indian. He asked north or south India, first, because that decides the restaurant, and the difference being the same as in Europe - north is mild and blander, south is hotter and spicier. Went for the south, of course.
The beers were, in his opinion, not proper indian, americanized already, i.e. watered down (as the Amstel ad said „not light enough? - just add water!“ and then a whole bucket is poured over the glass). But the food was as it should be, very similar to ours - always some kind of zaprška, lot of it simmered, kind of gulaš by other means. But it all tasted different, lots of other, unfamiliar spices, yet the overall impression was that of our cuisine. Very strange.
There was a ball of bread, pretty much like our krofna, except it was almost of beach ball size, and equally empty - you pinch it and it deflates, and the taste is, indeed, somewhere between a langoš and krofna, yet it's bread.
Don't even know what kind of meat was in it, could be anything, including morsketina (v. house dictionary). It's all so simmered in and mixed up with various vegetables, and who knows, perhaps fruit as well.
The copper cups contained cold water. Probably to cool off the mouth after so much spicy food, but no, it wasnt too picant for my taste, rates as medium hot. But very good overall. Could do that again.
Mentions: Gary Brandywine, house dictionary, Mohan Merchant, zaprška, in serbian
4-X-2022 - 7-IV-2026