by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
The patrons of Cilantro shift from hour to hour, varying from natives of Indian sauces from Cilantro to tables of Mandarin yuppies sipping their wine as they mispronounce menu items. The booths feel cozy and private, each with their own arches and walls. A small, well stocked bar of beer and wine is on the left side as you step in. Up above on TV sets, Indian rap and pop videos softly play on the Indian version of MTV. My husband spent most of our first evening there gazing up at the sets because it was different than anything he had seen. On certain nights before 9 ‘o clock, if you sit on the right side of the restaurant, you can hear the children in the karate studio next door yelling “HAH” as they run through their moves. This feature is more charming than annoying, but it is something to keep in mind.
Like every good Indian place in America, Cilantro has a lunch buffet. Everyone in that area of San Jose Boulevard seems to know about it, and they keep it in mind for the lunch hour, when they get tired of barbecue and fast food. They don’t deliver, but I’ve employed Cilantro for takeout, and found the takeout service to be fast and efficient.
Highly spiced items are denoted by little peppers beside the selection. Those items are also printed in red on the regular menu, so you can avoid them, or pick them out, whatever the case may be. On one of my visits, I brought a friend who is among the spice-shy. Items that I find a tad spicy, instantly have her reaching for water as her nose runs. She was a bit nervous about eating Indian food because of the last Indian restaurant she visited. Even though she had ordered her curry at mild, she had found it to be far too spicy and had trouble telling the difference in heat between her “mild” selection and her friend’s “extra spicy” selection. She had no such problems at Cilantro as the staff is very helpful with menu selection. She settled on their savory tandoori chicken and was absolutely satisfied. I sampled a bit of the tandoori, instantly falling in love. I can honestly say, it’s the best tandoori chicken I’ve ever had, flavorful without being spicy, cooked skin-on for a moist, incredible flavor.
The food at Cilantro has been consistent in quality when I’ve gone, something that most Indian restaurants don’t always manage to do. Co-owner Jay Chaudhary took the time to tell me a little bit about why Cilantro has caused such buzz since it opened less than a year ago. “There are a lot of Indian restaurants run by family…but they are not professional in the food…sometimes it’s really good and sometimes it’s horrible.” said Chaudhary.
Each time I went I had an old favorite to drink: the mango lassi. I recommended it to my spice-shy friend, because it tends to take the heat off between bites. It’s also quite delicious. The creamy, dreamy drink has a yogurt and mango base. Even if you believe you don’t like yogurt, you’re bound to like this drink, which is a little thinner in texture than a milk shake. Other drink selections include Taj Indian Beer, plus the standard beer and wine selections you can find in most restaurants.
Most of the appetizers appeal to spice seekers, but the samosa (a kind of flaky bread filled with green peas and mild spices) is the best option for those who can’t handle the heat.
I’m not spice-shy myself; I’m a spice seeker, which lead me to select the Shrimp Vindaloo Curry when I tried their takeout. If you’ve also got a lust for heat, the chile paneer appetizer should also be at the top of your list. Any of the Vindaloo Curries would be a great choice.
I wasn’t much for the goat rogan josh that I tried, mostly because the meat was especially chewy, and it included bones, which kept showing up unexpectedly. The sauce, like all of Cilantro’s sauces, was excellent. The goat isn’t the norm for quality, so my advice is to skip the goat and go for the lamb, chicken or the shrimp.
I ordered a Lamb Dosa on my first visit to Cilantro’s, mostly because I’d stuck to curries and tandoori’s at other Indian restaurants in the past and I wanted to try something different. They brought out a massive, paper-thin Indian crepe, rolled up and stuffed with spiced lamb. The dosa was over a foot in length. Having never ordered one before, I was baffled by its size. Finally, I opted to cut the dosa in half and started from there. My husband was impressed by the dosa and made it his selection on our next visit. Dosas are more indicative of South Indian cooking, something that you don’t often see, since most restaurants stick to the Northern or Pakistani style.
I couldn’t quite pronounce either dessert I tried, but was glad that my waiter gently helped me with the pronunciation, as I’m sure I mangled it quite soundly. Of the two exotic desserts that I tried, the Gulab Famun is the most likely to appeal to American palates. They look rather like doughnut holes presented in a martini glass full of thin cardamom syrup. I’ve had them in a cream in other restaurants, but I enjoyed this preparation. Their rich flavor comes from a sweet Indian homemade cottage cheese. The other dessert I sampled, Rasmalia, is just too different in texture for most Americans to appreciate, although I did like the lovely saffron cream it was doused in. Indian ice creams are also a safe bet, with flavors like rose and mango to choose from.
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