Lamb Dinner at The India Restaurant

 Saturday, November 12, 2022

Eight of us tonight for a Lamb dinner planned by CJ months ago.  Finally came to be.. The India Restaurant in Artesia which is also known as "Little India" because of the numbers of Indian people in the area .Loads of shops, restaurants etc., Very unique area.  We will be back in January for another dinner. 

Table was loaded with wine bottles and glasses. Most of us had 4 wine glasses in front of us. CJ had the food sent out in 3 different timelines. Made the table easier to navigate. Even then I know I missed tasting a couple of the dishes. 

For appetizers we had Onion Bhaji which is onions floured and deep fried. Also Tawa Aloo. Pan roasted potatoes with Indian masalas. This dish had quite a bite to it but the dry Gewurztraminer was the perfect wine to pair with this dish.

6 more dishes along with garlic Naan and rice rounded out the selections.

Lamb Skeekh Kabab.

Lamb Garlic Masala - sauteed with tomatoes, green onions and garlic in a brown curry.

Saag Paneer - house made cheese cooked in spinach with herbs and spices.

Lamb Keema Masala - ground lamb with spices, onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and cilantro.

Rogan Rosh - boneless lamb cooked in a yogurt based sauce with kashmiri herbs in Muguali style.

Navratan Korma - assorted fresh vegetables cooked in yogurt cream and mild spices.

Everything was cooked on the mild side. There was nothing I tasted that I did not like. All the wines brought went well with the food. People did a really good job of pairing. A lot of thought on their part.

2012 Saxum, James Berry Vineyard. Blend of Grenache, Mouvedre, Syrah and Counaise.

2011 Rochioli, RRV, Pinot Noir

2010 La Croix de Boyd-Cantenac, Margaux

???? Hirsch, Reserve, Pinot Noir

2012 Private, Syrah Reserve from India

2020 Tercero, The Outlier, dry Gewurztraminer

???? Dovecote, Syrah

2018 Optimist, Sanguis. Blend of Syrah, Grenache and Petit Verdot

NV   E, Guigal, Cote-Rotie

NV   Veuve Cliquot, Rose Champagne

2012 Revelation, Champagne, 100% Pinot Meunier

Lunch at Cali-Chilli

 Monday. November 7, 2022

Impromptu lunch today. Had a dental appointment and CJ who drove me decided to walk around the area while he waited for me. Just around the corner from the dental office was a restaurant we have been wanting to try since it opened.

Cali-Chilli, a Mexican-Indian restaurant run by a Michelin star rated chef. Small restaurant with a really nice bar set up. Some tables are bar height and others normal height. A couple of booths at the front with big windows. Very subtle colors. Very nice in color selections. 

We ordered 3 dishes and a garlic-chive Naan bread.

Crispy calamari rings with crispy French green beans. Came with a lime aioli sauce. Subtle spices in the crunchy batter. Took the leftovers home and hours later they were still crunchy. Good flavor.

7 Spice crispy chicken wings. 6 wings to an order. Excellent flavors, Crunchy skin and very moist meat. A real winner. 

Tandoori mushrooms. Large button mushrooms that had a very slightly blackened skin form the Tandoori over.  Another winner.

Prices averaged about $20 per dish. A tad bit high but excellent quality so I have no problem with the pricing. We did not order any drinks this time. Wine menu was on the mediocre side.  They do have a full bar now so I would like to try a few of their specialty cocktails.   Corkage is $20 so when we go back, we will bring our own wine. 

I have an idea that this is not a menu that you would ask for substitutions. They had a large menu so anyone should be able to find something that they would like.

Not sure of the parking. Restaurant is located in a small neighborhood shopping area. There are a few lots available, but I do not know if this restaurant has availability to them. There is street parking and we lucked out to be able to park right in front. But on a Monday at 1:00 I would suspect is an off day and time. 

Can't wait to go back and try a few more new dishes.