BRANCHING out from the long-established India House in Montrose, Passage to
Most items on the menu will have a familiar ring, as the ingredients in an established Indian dish tend to remain consistent. But the freshness of those ingredients — especially the vegetables — together with the careful balance of seasoning and the spontaneity of their preparation make a star performer out of what could have been just another chorus kid.
One way to begin is to share an appetizer, perhaps four huge, juicy shrimp (jhinga) that have been sautéed with onion and mild spices. Or try the outsize samosas, their tender pastry stuffed with savory ground lamb. Almost as pleasing were the pakora, flat, deep-fried fritters of chopped vegetables bound with chickpea flour. The chef’s special appetizer, a generous assortment that included shrimp tandoori and chicken tikka, was enough for several to share.
Cooks in Indian kitchens put much thought and effort into enhancing humble vegetables, which are important parts of every meal, and these potent blends are not for vegetarians only. Two or three vegetable dishes to one meat dish is not an unusual ratio, and if any of them is expendable, it is usually the meat. A satisfying meal balances curried dishes (that is, with sauce or gravy) with dry dishes and adds rice, a supple piece of nan bread, saucers of dal (lentils) and, perhaps, cooling yogurt raita.
Timing is key to cooking in the tandoor oven, and on my three visits here the timing was perfect. Chicken marinated in yogurt described as “tenderly barbecued in the tandoor” arrived exactly so. Nuggets of minced lamb (seekh kebab) were succulent, too.
Chicken makhani — or butter chicken — is an Indian restaurant staple, and at Passage to India the shards of chicken were combined deliciously with almonds and raisins in a thick, creamy cashew nut sauce. Lamb could not have been more meltingly tender, whether mingled with sweet-sharp pickling spices (achar) or with doubly cooked, sweet onions (do piaz). In the beef Cochin, coconut countered the spicy heat of a pungent seasoning that included chilies, curry leaves and ginger. I’ve had korma preparations more elaborate than the simple cream and nut sauce of the version made here, but we ordered it with shrimp, and it was terrific.
Vegetarian dishes were a particular delight. An unusual dish called roasted paneer tikka consisted of skewered rolls of homemade cottage cheese served with sweet peppers and onions. Lavish (though not hot) spicing infused scoops of mashed vegetables and bits of fruit with cream and tomato sauce in the malai kofta. Fresh ginger and curry leaves lent headiness to channa saag (chickpeas in spinach purée).
Every vegetable dish we tried was unusual and engaging: smoky eggplant (baigan bharta) with cumin and chopped onions; cauliflower and potatoes with peas and ginger (alu gobi mutter); fresh cuts of baby okra at once spicy and sweet (bhindi do piaz); and Indian cottage cheese with mellow puréed spinach (palak paneer).
Indian food is rich, and desserts based on rice or fried cream can seem too heavy at the end of a meal. Instead, try the spice tea and a dish of the first-rate, housemade Indian ice cream called kulfi.
Occasionally words are lost in translation. If you ask for more raita, you may be served an extra portion of rice instead; and a picture of India Gate in Delhi was identified as the Taj Mahal. No matter. The staff here clearly hopes to please, a wish the kitchen has already granted.
Passage to
17 Main Street
Mount Kisco
(914) 244-9595
www.passagetoindia.us
VERY GOOD
THE SPACE Crystal ballroom chandelier over the sleek bar lends sparkle to the otherwise dimly lighted dining room. Wheelchair accessible.
THE CROWD All ages, from couples to families, with some parties-of-one eating or drinking at the bar. Pleasant, willing service, with occasional language misunderstandings.
THE BAR Handsome, fully stocked bar offers an intriguing selection of cocktails with a subcontinental flair.
THE BILL Lunch boxes, $7 and $8, rice and nan included. Buffet lunch, $11. Dinner entrees, $13 to $22. Buffet brunch, $14.
WHAT WE LIKE Keema samosa, bagari jhinga (shrimp); chicken tandoori, paneer tikka (roasted cottage cheese), chicken makhani, lamb do piaz, lamb achar, beef Cochin, shrimp korma, palak paneer, malai kofta (mashed vegetables), channa saag (chickpeas), bhindi do piaz (okra); homemade kulfi.
IF YOU GO Lunch buffet, Monday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Brunch buffet, Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner, daily, 5 to 10 p.m. Parking in the back lot.
Reviewed July 16, 2006
