Shalimar-velous

When training for the Mini last year, there was no finer treat than to come back from a long run on a Saturday, take a long shower, and hot-foot it to Shalimar for their all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. After logging ten miles, it was close to Nirvana to test the limits of the limitless lunch.

Shalimar is also a frequent lunch-spot for my work crowd, where we found ourselves once again last Wednesday to celebrate Steph's multiple minutes of fame as last week's Nuvo Cover Girl. Even without the ten mile run preceding it, it's still a damn fine experience.

At eight bucks each, you get a lengthy buffet of fresh and delicious Indian fare. Newbies to the exotic need not fear -- some things are spicy but most aren't, and the great thing about the buffet is you can try just a little bit of everything.

I'll dispense with the Indian names and just mention some of the favorites: crunchy vegetable fritters, traditional flat, chewy flavored breads, screamingly bright red tandoori chicken (don't let the color put you off -- it's not spicy but it is delicious), cooked spinach with homemade cheese, and chicken or vegetables in a flavorful brown "korma" sauce. There are many others that I don't list here, but go and experiment for yourself.

In addition to the hot dishes, there are ingredients to make yourself a salad (I never bother) and yummy desserts like mango pudding, rich pudding with cardamom, sweet-spicy carrot souffle and, of course, the legendary gulab jamun -- kind of like hush puppies drowning in honey. They're intensely sweet and I can't even eat a whole one, but there is a gentleman in our office who I believe has set some sort of Indianapolis record for the most gulab jamun eaten in one sitting.

There's another cold dish that they recently put on the buffet which I adore, but is an acquired taste (no one else seemed to love it like I did). It looked like a Waldorf salad but was made up of apples, potatoes, and cucumbers, with a light dressing that was sour-sweet and almost painfully hot. To the folks at Shalimar: Please keep that stuff coming.

Although lunch is the main draw for many, I'd advice you to try it out for dinner. My favorites are the Navratan Shahi Korma (mixed veggies, nuts, and raisins in a creamy brown sauce) and chicken vindaloo (a spicy rice dish). You can get most dishes with your choice of chicken, lamb, seafood, or vegetables (like almost all Indian restaurants, beef is not served). In my opinion, almost all of the dishes are complemented by a sauce you should absolutely order called Raitha (pronounced rye-tah). It's a simply yoghurt/cucumber/tomato sauce, but its tangy tartness really brings out the flavors of most dishes, and in the case of the hot ones, cools them down.

Shalimar has a limited mid-range wine menu and a nice selection of Indian, Asian and domestic beers. The small-sized restaurant is pleasantly low-key and attractive, with white table linens and soft lighting, just right for a second date. Some version of Indian music (sometimes more traditional sounding, sometimes pop) plays at not-too-loud a level. The service is very good; you are attended to by professionals who know what they are doing. Entrees range from $8 - $13. Because of its strip-mall location, parking is easy, a nice bonus given its proximity to Broad Ripple.

Most dishes are in the $9 - $13 range. They have carry-out as well, of which I have availed myself many times (and they've never messed up an order).

Whether you're an old hand at Indian dining or new to the experience, you're not going to go wrong with Shalimar.

Location

Shalimar
1043 Broad Ripple Avenue (next to the high school)
317-465-1100
Lunch, January 5, 2005

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Price: $$