Wednesday Night Dine Out: Sitar

Even though I haven't written about my recent restaurant experiences, I am still enjoying my Wednesday night dining excursions. Lately, I've revisited a few spots - most notably 212 Market - and I've also hit a few chains (I know I said I'd try to avoid those, but...). Nothing too exciting at them - although I highly recommend you order the house Chianti at Macaroni Grill. They bring a huge bottle over and fill your glass to the rim right at the table - lovely!

Yesterday, however, I was feeling adventurous. I'd heard about two different ethnic restaurants that I wanted to try, and opted for the Sitar Indian Restaurant. I've only eaten Indian food once - on a trip to London six years ago, we ate at a terrible Indian restaurant. The experience was probably heightened by the fact that it was our first full day in the city - still jet-lagged - and that we felt overwhelmed by the menu choices. We felt we had just made bad choices. So I thought it was time to try again.

Sitar is in a bland strip mall close to my home, and had been favorably reviewed in our local online newspaper. I went early, because the Red Sox' spring training game was being broadcast at 6pm and I needed my fix! So I arrived at the restaurant at 5:15 or so - and the place was deserted. I was afraid they weren't open, but a waiter appeared and ushered me to a seat. I had studied the menu online, so I had some idea of what I wanted - I chose the House Specialty Combination plate. Here's how it is described:

Our mouthwatering house special dish. Chicken Tandoori, Lamb Rogan Josh, Vegetable Korma, Papadum, rice and Naan bread, soup.

Intriguing. I thought this would give me several different dishes to try. For the soup, I had Mulligatawny soup, which was warm and refreshing. The main course - well, the Chicken Tandoori was two spindly pieces of cooked-to-death-chicken, a drumstick and a wing. All dark meat - not my favorite. I have to admit, the lamb and vegetables looked - and tasted - identical. I had ordered it mild, thank heavens, because my mouth was burning from all the curry! They were tasty - and there was a ton of food, so I was very full.

However, it didn't make me a fan of Indian cuisine. I enjoyed the change of pace, but I don't think I'll go out of my way to eat there again. Or maybe I'll try the cuisine again in the company of someone who can help me figure out what to order!