There's been little posting of restaurant mini-reviews here of late so I
thought I'd add one.
"India Oven" opened about a week ago on Murray Avenue in Squirrell Hill, two
blocks up the street from Mineos, in a space that has seen a bunch of ethnic
restaurants come and go over the years.
We went on a Tuesday night, the place was filled by the time we left.
The space is nicely refreshed, with tables along the walls but not up the
middle of the room, so privacy is quite good. There are the requisite Indian
artworks on the walls, Indian vocal music playing in the background, and
some glass chandeliers that added a nice touch.
The staff was very attentive and friendly (maybe too much, we had our water
glasses filled maybe eight times during the dinner).
While we don't see ourselves as serious afficionados of Indian food, we've
nonetheless eaten our share here and in other cities. The menu here
appeared to be basically the same as most everywhere else, but was very
nicely arranged graphically, with a clear brief explanation of the main
ingredients in every dish. There were the typical dozen breads, tandoori
dishes, curries, a long list of vegetarian entrees, familiar apetizers, etc.
We ordered chicken tikka masala (a tandoori chicken with cream-tomato
sauce), aloo gobhi (a cauliflower-potato stew), and nonvegetarian thalli
which included among other things some lamb curry, raita, achar
(crunchy/salty/spicy relishes - definitely an acquired taste), as well as
tea and desert. The food was served without much delay. We were VERY
pleased with our meals. While none of this is novel stuff, it was all quite
nicely spiced and everything seemed very fresh. Even the plain side salads
that went with the entrees were good: a wedge of lemon came on each plate
with the lettuce and chopped vegetables along with a large crispy wafer on
top with both a green paste and sweet dipping sauces. My other family
members asked that their dishes have no spicy heat, and the chef accomodated
accurately (unlike our experience at My Thai in Shadyside recently, when a
dish my wife had ordered after she was assured that it was "very mild"
proved to be so blisteringly hot that it was inedible by her). I prefer some
heat and it came this way. Dinner for three, including entrees and some
extra breads, was around $40. Most entrees are in the $9-11 range.
We liked it, better than the places in Oakland we've tended to go to in
the past, and will go again.Pittsburgh, PA