Which is best Indian Restaurant??

 Taste of India is my favorite in Pittsburgh (I like it better than India
 Garden, Star of India, and even Darbar.)

 Here's my rankings.

 0.) Taj Mahal (sadly missed, do they still run a cart somewhere?)
 1.) Taste of India  - medium $, ok/good service, nice decor, good food
 2.) Sree's - cheap $, good service, no decor, good food
 3.) India Garden - medium $, ok service, ok decor, ok food
 4.) Darbar - cheap/medium $, ok service, barely ok decor, acceptable food
 5.) Prince of India - medium $, good service, ok decor, ok food
 6.) Star of India - expensive $, ok service, nice decor, ok food
 x.) Some place on Wllm Penn I never visited.
 x.) Dosa Hut, I never visited either. (not a full menu anyway.)

 Bombay Emporium - groceries, some home made/ready to heat foods
 Kapoors Imports - groceries, yummy appetizers. little salty
 Zaw's Asian Foods - they make a pretty mean samosa, actually

 All in all, I think the differences are pretty minor. I think of Taste
 of India as the most consistent, along with pricey Star of India.
 Darbar's quality has slid considerably in recent years. I can remember
 when I would of ranked it #1. Prince of India is fairly new, only place
 with booze. (Everyone is BYOB, for sure.) I would like to hear what Dosa
 Hut is like. I hear they just do dosa's, just like Pizza Hut does pizza.
 (Thus, their name. Really!)

 IMO the ranking is

 1) Taste of India
 2) India Garden
 3) Darbar
 4) Prince of India
 5) Star of India

 Excerpts from netnews.pgh.food: 2-Apr-96 Re: Which is best Indian Re..
 by Robert C [email removed]
 > I found Darbar's food to be really quite bland.  I have only eaten there
 > for their lunch buffet, so maybe the spice was toned down, but it was not
 > very good at all.  Their mango lhassi was only so-so as well but it was
 > included for free with the buffet.

 Darbar's regular food is definitely not bland, especially if you ask for
 it spicy.  They're actually my favorite for spicy Indian food though their
 buffet food like all the places I've eaten at save for Taj Mahal is not
 spicy.  Their nan is also some of the best.

 > I really like the atmosphere of Star of India on Craig Street. Service is
 > very good, food is very good, as is the atmosphere.  They make a mean dal
 > soup.  The only thing is I don't really like the bismati rice they serve
 > there for somereason.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great (I love bismati
 > and often eat it plain).  One thing about the star is you pay for
 > everything you get.

 I like the location and they have the best khulfi I've had in Pittsburgh,
 but I'm not very impressed with the rest of their food and their prices
 are definitely too high.

 > India garden on Atwood street is fairly good.  Service is decent although
 > I had a bad time late one night near closing when they were extremely
 > anxious to get rid of us.  The buffet is good although the food tends to
 > the rich side.  I frequent this place because they are on the
 > entertainment fine dining card, and I borrow all of my friends cards to
 > go here.

 India Garden is my favorite place, but my friends who like it frequently
 tell me that A Taste of India is better.  I've only had the lunch food
 from A Taste of India at CMU and while that's quite good it doesn't
 compare to a regular meal at the restaurant.

 My favorite for Indian used to be Taj Mahal on Atwood street but alas and
 alack, the have closed over thelast few months.  The owners can still be
 found weekdays on Thackery street in oakland in the silver van selling
 their food.  All is quite good and low in fat and added oils.  Their
 chicken curry is superlative and unlike any I've ever had elsewhere.

 Prince of India on Fifth Avenue in the old Pizza Hut building is very
 good and tasty, but I find the food to be a bit rich for me.  Nice and
 spicy though.  They have a bar here with several beers on tap.  I had a
 very good experience with service a couple of weeks ago when I had
 mentioned something to the manager about student discounts.  My waitress
 had not given me a student discount, and after I paid, he took it upon
 himself to check my bill and see if she gaveme the discount.    When he
 found she had not, he ran out and grabbed me after I had just left the
 premises and re rang my bill.

 I found Darbar's food to be really quite bland.  I have only eaten there
 for their lunch buffet, so maybe the spice was toned down, but it was not
 very good at all.  Their mango lhassi was only so-so as well but it was
 included for free with the buffet.

 I really like the atmosphere of Star of India on Craig Street. Service is
 very good, food is very good, as is the atmosphere.  They make a mean dal
 soup.  The only thing is I don't really like the bismati rice they serve
 there for somereason.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great (I love bismati
 and often eat it plain).  One thing about the star is you pay for
 everything you get.

 India garden on Atwood street is fairly good.  Service is decent although
 I had a bad time late one night near closing when they were extremely
 anxious to get rid of us.  The buffet is good although the food tends to
 the rich side.  I frequent this place because they are on the
 entertainment fine dining card, and I borrow all of my friends cards to
 go here.

 Taste of India in Bloomfield on Penn is fairly good.  The nan was some of
 the best  I've had and the gravy on my vegetable curry was quite good.
 They serve bottled alcohol here.

 Lillian B. wrote:
 >Now that we have totally exausted the Best Sushi catagory, how about
 >rating your favorite indian places?
 >
 >i prefer A Taste Of India on Penn Avenue.  i have been to India Garden
 >and do not care for it (cannot identify the meat).  Anyone else?

 Someone wrote:
 : Excerpts from netnews.pgh.food: 2-Apr-96 Re: Which is best Indian Re..
 : by Robert C [email removed]
 : Darbar's regular food is definitely not bland, especially if you ask for
 : it spicy.  They're actually my favorite for spicy Indian food though their
 : buffet food like all the places I've eaten at save for Taj Mahal is not
 : spicy.  Their nan is also some of the best.

 IMO, Darbar has not been consistent in their food preparation.
 Couple of yearsback all their vegetarian entrees seemed to taste
 the same.

 : I like the location and they have the best khulfi I've had in Pittsburgh,
 : but I'm not very impressed with the rest of their food and their prices
 : are definitely too high.

 I think for the fare that Star of India dishes out, their prices are way toooo
 high.I guess they did well untill about 5 years back when there were only two
 Indian restaurants in Pittsburgh. On a side note, try the Kulfi that is sold
 at Kapoors (for that matter most Indian stores carry it), it's very good.

 : > India garden on Atwood street is fairly good.  Service is decent although
 : > I had a bad time late one night near closing when they were extremely
 : > anxious to get rid of us.  The buffet is good although the food tends to
 : > the rich side.  I frequent this place because they are on the
 : > entertainment fine dining card, and I borrow all of my friends cards to
 : > go here.
 : India Garden is my favorite place, but my friends who like it frequently
 : tell me that A Taste of India is better.  I've only had the lunch food
 : from A Taste of India at CMU and while that's quite good it doesn't
 : compare to a regular meal at the restaurant.

 We used to frequent India Garden but not any more. The quality of food is
 definately not what it used to be.  Theie entrees are too rich and creamy, and
 definately not very authentic. Of course they have a new cook and that could
 very well be the reason.

 Taste of India, On Penn Avenue, though slightly small, has been very
 consistent with their fare over the last 4 years. They seem to have the
 most authentic north indian food in pittsburgh.

 Prince of India, uses too much cream and tomato paste in their stuff.

 Excerpts from netnews.pgh.food: 2-Apr-96 Re: Which is best Indian Re..
 by Nithya Vaidyanathan@pitt
 > IMO, Darbar has not been consistent in their food preparation.
 > Couple of yearsback all their vegetarian entrees seemed to taste
 > the same.

 So very true! I took some people (my family) there out of convience one
 night, it turned out the Malai Kofta (Vegetarian Balls) and the Channa
 Masala (Chickpeas in a tomato and onion base) had the exact same sauce,
 a garish nuclear-orange sauce that screamed "heavy cream!" all over it.
 I mean, literally, like someone took a jar of "Prego" and mixed it with
 half-and-half or something! When it got to room temperature, I think fat
 solids started taking shape. C'mon! Back in the old days, the two were
 very distinct and pleasurable dishes, with little or no heavy cream,
 ghee or dairy. I miss the old cook, whoever she or he was. And the
 tamarin sauce didn't hold a match to it's former glory. The mint chutney
 was still good and fresh like I recalled. Well, the condiments are still
 complimentary upon asking (a trick to maximizing your buck at Darbar,
 along with the student discount). And the famous Nan is still whopping
 big, but not as deliciously textured. I don't think they are mixing the
 dough enough to give it the proper amount of glutenous fibers, i.e.
 "body".

 Side note: I'm no authority, but I really think this cream thing is some
 sort of "catering to American tastes" thing, about as authentic as gooey
 globs of General Tso's chicken and caramel colored packets of soy sauce.

 Darbar used to a place where a poor student could go with a friend and
 eat like a king and queen for relatively little money. Nowadays, I'd
 rather save the walking distance and eat along South Craig, like Ali
 Baba. (One of the most consistant ethnic places around.)

 So on that pivotal night with my family, in bitter sorrow, I sent the
 main dishes back, raising the eyebrow of my trusted server. And the
 dining room hushed with silence! Sigh. Tough call, tough life, I know.
 It came crashing down on me, "Darbar of yore is no more.", as I tossed
 my familiar maroon napkin on a glass table top littered with pieces of
 basmati rice and fond memories. It has been a permanent emotional scar,
 leaving me a hungry and jaded 20-something diner in the 'burgh since.
 I'm was crushed.

 In closing, I really appreciate all your caring and sympathy. It's been
 a painful step, but I have found other Indian places with the help of
 other former Darbar diners. But, you know, you never forget your first
 Channa Masala. I think I'm going to cry. *honk!*

 And thanks for being silly enough to read this. hee!
 -Tatsu

 PS I found a really great web page, probably the most authoratative I
 have seen on this matter. Prices, service, credit cards, directions,
 everything. Plus it's a great "living Indian" in Pittsburgh resource.

 http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~karim/LIP-eating.html#restaurant-information
 By Karimulla Shaikh, someone affiliated with CMU's CS department.

Someone wrote:
: I apologize for my ignorance.  It's very dissapointing to discover that : a book one had come to believe might actually be giving good information : is just another part of a giant sham that seems continually perpetrated : on us by book publishers.  How does one ever find out what true food : is without traveling to (in this case) India which I cannot afford. : And would I be served food with cream there unless I was in someones : home? Please, Do not make me sound like a Know-it-all, if I came across like that, I apologize. Unfortunately most of the Indian restaurant food(in Pitt), except for TajMahal seems to be more catered towards western taste. That's good for them but not so for picky eaters. If you ever get a chance to go to Chicago, there are a few good North and South Indian restaurants out there(Devon Street). In Rockville (MD), we came across a place called Bombay Bistro. They had good Mughlai(without too much cream) and Goanese food. If you happen visit DC, there is a South Indian Restaurant called Udipi, They make very good south Indian  dishes. Of course, the best way is to be-friend a few Indians :) .

: If they don't use them in home cooking, for what were they using cream : prior to extensive western contact?

The predominant source of milk in India was from Cows and buffaloes, the cream (sweet cream) from milk in most cases was not extracted, but if it was; then, it was mainly used in making milk sweets. Most of the Indian milk sweets need fresh milk cream. Milk was consumed as such, used for religious ceremonies and the rest used to be curdled to make yogurt, butter, butter milk etc. I am sure, some more knowledgeable netters could provide you lot more info.

: Can one buy this vegetable based ghee at Kapoors or Bombay?

It's called Vanaspati, you could check with them. We sometimes use Crisco vegetable shortening.

: Thanks for settting me straight.

Hope you find non-cream based dishes :). There are a bunch of Traditional Indian cook books available. The problem is not all of these books available in English. I shall try and send you names of some of English ones that I have.