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Category: Reviews (page 4 of 20)

Naanstop Indian Street Food

Everyone loves street food and I am no exception. My occasional cravings take us to Mumbai Masala in Norcross where we tuck in to the best chaat in Atlanta, or so my inner persnickety Bombayite street food lover thinks. Mumbai Masala serves the usual routine that includes bhel puri, sev puri, ragda patties, pani puri and other delicious goodies. The food is cheap, fresh and flavorful. Actually, let me rephrase: it is fresh, flavorful and cheap. Sometimes it is a little too fiery for my sensitive taste buds but for most part, Mumbai Masala is my favorite, hands down, when it comes to Indian chaat in Atlanta. And this site bears testimony to that. Just check out the number of posts I have dedicated to this little eatery in Norcross!

Enough about Mumbai Masala; this is a post about Naanstop.

I heard about Naanstop many months ago, but given that it is located in Downtown and I neither work nor live in the neighborhood, I didn’t get a chance to visit until this week. T and I decided to go out for lunch and I thought we could go check out Naanstop, and so, off we went. Parking is a hassle in Downtown, as anyone will tell you. So we drove around the block, trying to find a place to park T’s car. When we found one, T realized that she didn’t have any quarters for the parking meter. I had a few and I fed those to the machine. I asked some of the stores around if they could give me loose change but everyone looked at me as if I was asking them for a kidney! Not very welcoming… until I walked into Dania’s Restaurant where the nice young guy behind the counter happily gave me $2 in quarters. Thanks, thanks!

Finally, we got to Naanstop, a little place on Broad Street, busy and cheerful. The menu is limited and there are only a couple of vegetarian options. It isn’t exactly Indian street food although a few of the items can be easily categorized so. Naanstop’s invention, the Naanwich (think of a pita wrap that uses a Naan instead) is a handy invention and it nicely fits in all manner of fillings and sauces.

Naanstop

I asked for a Naanwich with garlic Naan, Paneer Tikka Masala filling, grilled vegetables and apple-tamarind chutney. Lucky me, I got a piping hot Naan, fresh from the Tandoor, crisp and crackling. I also got a chance to see how it is made. Wish I had taken some pictures. Anyway, the Tandoor is a large pot (of stone?) with a hole at the top. The Naan dough is rolled out, a fistful (or lesser) of minced garlic is added in, and then the Naan is put inside the Tandoor, poked around with a long stick, then taken out when nicely done. You will know when it’s done, I suppose, by the toasty fragrance that fills the air. The garlic gains a slightly charred flavor, losing its sharpness, turning mild. The Paneer Tikka Masala filling was perfectly spiced, red in color. I wish Indian restaurants would stop using red food coloring; the food wouldn’t taste/look any lesser, I am sure! The apple-tamarind chutney was sweet-sour, a perfect foil to the creamy paneer, and the grilled onions/peppers provided a nice crunch to the filling.

Naanwich with Paneer Tikka Masala, Grilled Vegetables and Apple-Tamarind Chutney

I also ordered a side of fries topped with Tikka Masala and Yogurt-Cilantro Chutney. This is a BIG side, almost half a meal. Lucky for me that T was there, so we could share it. This dish is a new invention, an Indian-American fusion item and I liked it… well, a little. The chutneys turned the fries soggy in minutes and I had to throw most of them… sigh.

Fries with Chutney

Another vegetarian filling option is Chhole (chickpeas in tomato-spices sauce, for want of a better description). You can get either that or the Paneer Tikka Masala filling over basmati rice as well. I wanted to sample the Garlic Naan, so I picked the Naanwich instead.

A little detail that annoyed me a little… I noticed one of the guys behind the counter checking the temperature of the food with a thermometer. He stuck it into one of the fillings (chicken, perhaps), took it out, read the temperature. He then rinsed the thermometer in a little plastic bowl of water (that didn’t look too clear, really), then stuck it into another container. I asked him about it and he explained, (a little apologetically, I thought) that he was rinsing the thermometer between sticking it into different fillings. Looked like a situation ripe for cross-contamination issues, hmmm.

Anyway, I would love to go back to Naanstop and I would love for them to have more vegetarian options. Some ideas that come to mind: Potato Patties with Date-Tamarind Chutney, Naanwich filled with Palak/Saag Paneer, Basmati Rice Bowl with Rajma, Basmati Rice and Dal Tadka with a side of lime pickle… A list of delicious possibilities comes to mind!

Naanstop
64 Broad Street NW
Atlanta GA 30303
404-522-6226

www.naanstop.com

Liz Lovely’s Gluten Free and Vegan and DIVINE cookies

Oh Liz Lovely… I couldn’t be happier that I get to buy your products, lovingly crafted in verdant Vermont, at my local grocery store, here in Atlanta.

A good cookie is a little piece of heaven. It is the perfect accompaniment to a favorite book, the best ending to a home-cooked meal, an easy way to sign off on a sweet note. But cookies = flour + eggs + dairy and some other ingredients. What is a girl to do if she is cutting back on all three items from her diet? Bid goodbye to cookies, probably. Or make her own! An easier (and may I say, more delicious option) is to buy a packet of Liz Lovely’s. They are giant cookies (one cookie = diameter of my palm and yes, I have a medium-large palm), nicely priced ($3.99 for a 2-pack) and delicious, divine, sweet heaven.

Ginger is a favorite flavor at our home, so the first time I espied a 2-pack of Liz Lovely cookies, I got the Gluten Free Ginger Molasses one. Coated with granulated sugar, soft and crumbly in texture, little bites of crystallized ginger peeking through, subtly sweet due to the molasses… this is a sweet-sharp cookie with bright flavors. You can break a piece (or two) off the huge cookie, eat happily and sit back, contented. Or you could sneak back in and finish the whole cookie, bit by bit… I won’t judge you!

Gluten Free Ginger Molasses Cookie

Last week, I bought a pack of two Chocolate Fudge Cookies. Ooh, this is a rich and decadent recipe. Each little bite is choc-a-full with nuggets of dark chocolate, silky in texture, assertive flavors… Know what, you won’t be able to eat the whole cookie in a single sitting. Try it, really.

Gluten Free Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Glancing through the Liz Lovely website, I saw SO MANY delicious-sounding cookies. Wish the company would bring them ALL to the Peach State. Please, Liz & Dan?

Vegetarian Eats, Savannah Edition – Part 2

Vegetarian Eats, Savannah Edition – Part 1

Sunday dawned rainy and dull. Decided to walk to Downtown and find a place for breakfast. Ah, Goose Feathers! The cafe was closed the evening before but it was open that morning. So we trooped in. It was almost eleven, so I could have gotten myself a bowl of vegetarian chili. But it didn’t feel right…eating chili first thing in the morning. Regretfully, I let it pass. P’s cousin ordered a plate of Belgian Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream while P got a bowl of oatmeal with apples/cinnamon. I ordered a whole wheat bagel with butter. I think we also got a hot chocolate and/or a cappuccino. I wish I could remember better! Anyway, Goose Feathers is a nice, bustling place. The lines to the counter moved fast and brisk, and the servers kept up the cheerful service. I could/should have ordered the chili, sigh.

The night before, we had gone to Kayak Cafe in Downtown. No pictures, sorry! Funnily enough, it so happened that I was chatting with a friend after we returned to Atlanta and she told me that her husband and she had also gone to Kayak when they visited Savannah! Hungry vegetarians think alike. Kayak has an interesting menu. I would have liked to order the West Indian Trader salad except that it featured curried chicken salad. If only it had been curried tofu salad… Combined with walnuts, mixed fresh fruit, roma tomatoes, cucumbers and a slice of homemade banana bread on organic greens, it would have made for an interesting combination. Well, now I cannot even recall what we ordered. I think I got myself a Roasted Vegetable Balsamico Panini while P ordered a Tofu and Vegetable Quesadilla. Don’t recall what P’s cousin ordered. The food was fresh and flavorful. We ate well that night. Kayak has a youthful vibe and I would go back there in a heartbeat.

Back to Sunday… We went over to Savannah Museum of Art, gawked at versions of the little black dress brought to life by various designers (P was singularly unimpressed but amused) and the other art installations. The rain had turned to a steady drizzle. It was close to afternoon, and so we decided to head home to Atlanta. Learned that there were two Indian restaurants in Savannah and decided to stop at one for lunch. Taste of India was closed, so it was Pakwan where we stopped.

As we walked in and were guided to our table, I looked at the young manager and wondered where I had seen him before. Then it struck me. A couple of years ago, I had attended a Yesplus workshop at Georgia Tech. He was one of the participants on the same workshop. He recognized me too and he knew about this blog! Turns out that his father owns Pakwan. So we asked him to recommend what we should eat. He asked us to order off the menu instead of getting food from the buffet. So we ordered a plate of Samosa Chaat, Navratan Korma, Paneer Makhani and the Bread Basket. As with all Indian restaurants in the US, the server brought us a plate of Papads with chutneys. Then the food started to arrive. The Samosa Chaat was fairly good. The coriander-chilli chutney looked unusually green, I thought! P and his cousin liked the Navratan Korma although I found it a tad too sweet. Actually, that is the predominant flavor of the original recipe, so I cannot really complain. The Paneer Makhani had a buttery gravy, red in color, smooth in texture and perfectly spiced. I wish I had ordered another vegetable dish… Bhindi Pyaaz, Sookhi Sabji or Chana Saag. Well, that’s the menu for another visit, I guess. We couldn’t do justice to the Bread Basket but we did the best we could! The Naans and Kulchas were piping hot, crisp and crumbly.

Eats from Pakwan Cuisine, Savannah

Eats from Pakwan Cuisine, Savannah

My friend insisted that we get dessert. When we demurred, he said that it was on the house. A little bowl of Rasmalai and another containing rice pudding arrived soon after. The Rasmalai was divine! Creamy and pink, perfectly portioned and with the right level of sweetness, I couldn’t have thought of a better ending to this meal. Actually, it is one of my favorite desserts, so my opinion is biased, most likely. P’s cousin cleaned up the bowl of rice pudding and I am guessing it was equally delicious. I couldn’t help noticing the cute copper bowls used to serve the food… very nice looking, indeed.

Bellies full, we stepped into the rain… off to Atlanta!

Kayak Cafe
One East Broughton Street
Savannah, GA 31401
912-233-6044
www.eatkayak.com

Goose Feathers Cafe
39 Barnard Street
Savannah, GA 31401
866-221-1948
www.goosefeatherscafe.com

Pakwan
7102 Abercorn Street
Savannah, GA 31406
912-349-4261
www.pakwanusa.com

Casual and Delicious at Mediterranean Grill

Walking into Mediterreanean Grill one afternoon, I was stumped.

Let me explain. I have become very used to the hostess-directing-guest-to-table-handing-menu and all the standard actions one encounters at restaurants and so, when I entered Mediterranean Grill and found a roomful of diners, eating and talking, a busy counter where platters of food were periodically placed, a guy at the register… you can figure out why I was stumped. But I recovered quickly. Found an empty (and clean) table, sat down and looked around. No server in sight. Ok, I get it. I walked to the counter, scanned the menu, placed my order, paid for it, went back to my table. Soon afterward, a guy called out, “Vegetarian Plate!” and I went to pick it up.

Mediterranean Grill is one of those little hole-in-the-wall places. The decor is plain and functional, the dining room is busy-noisy, there are no servers or fancy menus, the food comes quick! And it is delicious and cheap. Take a look at my Vegetarian Plate.

Vegetarian Plate

Vegetarian Plate

It featured green salad, one pita bread, two falafel patties, baba ghanouj, hummus, Jerusalem salad and tzatziki sauce. The platter generally features Tabouli Salad but it’s too sour for my taste. So I asked for Jerusalem salad instead. Actually, I had asked for Fetoush Salad but the guy told me that he’d have to make it specially. Ah, well… whatever that means. The falafel patties were excellent. Fresh and vibrant in flavor, easy on the garlic, fried to perfection with zero grease. The Baba Ghanouj was one of the best I have eaten in the United States, so also the Hummus. Tzatziki sauce was a little too sour for my taste but the texture was soft and creamy. All the items tasted wonderfully fresh and flavorful. It has been a while since I enjoyed food this much.

Can’t keep a good thing secret for long, so I went back to Mediterranean Grill with P. This time, he ordered the Vegetarian Plate and I got myself the Grilled Vegetables.  I also ordered a bowl of the Lentil Soup. P liked the Falafel a lot but he thought that the Pita bread was too chewy. Actually, I felt the same. It was soft and fresh-tasting but way too chewy. My platter of Grilled Vegetables included eggplant, zucchini, squash, onion, green pepper, tomatoes, mushroom with hummus and rice. Pretty good although I didn’t care much for the rice. It was cooked well but lacked seasoning. As for the Lentil Soup, it was wonderful. I am guessing it is made from Masoor Dal… Lightly spiced, piping hot, very homely and comforting.

On a whim, I ordered a piece of Walnut Baklava. The place had all but shut down but the guy behind the counter was nice, so he let me buy it. And he almost waived the price! But it was a sad piece of Baklava… 🙁 The filo layers fell off the walnut filling, sheesh. It was tasty (not overly sweet) but maybe we picked the wrong time to get it?

I can easily recommend Mediterranean Grill to a vegetarian. There are a few more vegetarian items on the menu remaining to be sampled, so another visit may be in order!

Mediterranean Grill
1255 Johnson Ferry Rd
Marietta GA 30068
678-996-0045

www.mediterraneangrill.com