That which I know not – Vimala’s Curry Blossom Cafe

I've worked in a lot of restaurants. Mediterranean. Chinese. Mexican. High-end seafood. Low-end burgers. I've sold wine by the bottle and vodka by the case. I've served falafel to vegans and prime rib to everybody else. I've waited on senators and wine critics and drunken Russians and NFL footballers. I even authored a book on how to do it: The Art of Waitering; a Practical Guide for College Students.

I know an awful lot about an awful lot of food from an awful lot of places. But one thing I don't know anything about is the cuisine of India. It's a huge hole and I need to fill it.

Indeed, India itself is a bit of a mystery. My knowledge of India is limited by my professional experience and that lives in the software universe. Some of my coders are from The Bangalore. Four Mile Mike has conference calls to Poon a few times a week. He refers to those as "Chickens and Pigs" for reasons too difficult to explain here. In summation: everything I know about India either derives from "if then, if else" function calls or strained memories of Gandhi, a movie made about a justly great man who quite famously did not eat.

Her Imperial Majesty is no knowledgeable scholar on the subject either. But she is a person Who Has Good Ideas and recently insisted that we trek to Franklin Street in Chapel Hill to Vimala's Curry Blossom Café. On the way over, she told me the back story; it was irresistible. For some 18 years, Vimala Rajendran has hosted community dinners out of her home and her food could be found all sorts of progressive events. To quote from her website: "Her food has shown up everywhere, from protests across the region to weddings and private parties to the Weaver Street Market lawn and Johnny's in Carrboro."

Her street cred established, she opened her space where Sandwich used to be. When we arrived on Saturday night, there was a line some 40 minutes packed with locals. The smells were exotic and intoxicating. When we got to the counter, we ordered and took an inside table in a corner as all the patio seating was taken. About 20 minutes passed before an avalanche of food appears at our table.

We ordered Beef Thali, Dal, Tandoori Chicken, plantains, and vegetable Samosas. Overall, everything was spicy but not terribly hot, as often happens in Indian restaurants I've experienced. Here, the Thali was rich and flavorful. Served with Dal, they complimented each other well. The Tandoori Chicken was nicely seared but still quite moist, which came as a bit of a revelation. The plantains were battered, then fried and were quite different that any others in my experience insofar as they were not sweet. Instead, the batter featured black sesame seeds and they were served with a sweet yogurt dipping sauce that was marvelous. Most interesting were the Samosas, which proved to be light and flaky yet substantial – and interesting trick for what is essentially a dumpling. Indeed, there was so much food at the table, that a good bit of it came home, which was a good thing.

There is much to recommend in Vimala's Curry Blossom. The dishes presented are perfectly simple, yet expertly prepared. There are no distractions like a pretentious setting or trend-oid waitrons. It is, in short, an exaltation of street food, which is something near and dear to my heart. It may very well serve as the opening steps in my Passage to India.

Vimala's Curry Blossom Cafe

431 W. Franklin St.
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
inside the Courtyard
Phone: (919) 929-3833
E-mail: vimala@curryblossom.com

Cuisine: Indian street food done right

Rating: *****

Prices: $$

Atmosphere: Very relaxed and true to its DNA.

Noise level: Nothing out of the ordinary.

Open:

Tuesdays through Saturdays 11:30a to 2p & 5p to 9p. Come out 9p - 10p for drinks after serving hours.

Reservations: Not necessary.

Other: Counter service. Expect lines.

We rank restaurants in five categories: Extraordinary***** Excellent**** Above average*** Average** Fair*






 

Homage to a Pint – The Hibernian

 

I do not like to travel. And ever since 9/11, I have avoided air travel whenever possible.

And, it's not because I fear that some fool is going to crash the plane I'm riding in into a Wal-Mart™. No, I hate travel because I get profiled walking through the airport.

Let's face facts: I'm not a terrorist threat to anyone with the possible exception of my in-laws. Indeed, I could show up at terminal two at RDU in a Dale Earnhardt tee shirt and a Red Man Chewing Tobacco hat – with a police record as clean and pure as the wind driven snow – and I'd still be treated as a suspect. I dearly wish that the TSA would start profiling young men who have just visited Pakistan, or Afghanistan, or Waziristan or Jennifer-anistan or you-don't-understand-astan and leave me alone. I'd like to be free to move about the planet. With my shoes on.

Once upon a time – before all the unpleasantness – I did move around the planet. I once pulled a gig in London, peddling somebody else's software to a major retailer. It landed me in Kensington and around the corner from a wonderful little local pub. There was football on every evening and the crowd were raucous. The fish and chips were served with mushy peas seasoned with mint. Bloody awful, they were. And very hard to choke down with a warm pint of Bass.

Which presented me with a dilemma; what do I drink in the pub while in London? The usual suspects were all warm-ish ales, stouts, lagers and the like. The solution was Strongbow, a fairly dry British cider served chilled. Ever since that week in London, I drink almost nothing else when I go to The Pub.

Her Imperial Majesty and I will only frequent local pubs that serve it. Our favorite is The Hibernian on Glenwood, downtown. There, they pull a perfect pint.

That's not to say that we ignore the food. We don't. Indeed, I had dinner there last night with a business associate. The curried wings were marvelous. And most of the things that come out of Chef Ali's kitchen are terrific. His fish and chips are better than what I had in London (no mushy peas here) and the Shepherd's Pie is wonderful. Everything I've ever had there is spot on. Managers Gerry and Darren are always there give hugs to Her Imperial Majesty. Her Imperial Majesty Junior gets a Fizzy Izzy without having to ask.

But the pints, oh the pints. Strongbow is tart, yet balanced, and not too sweet. Overall its much drier that any American cider I've ever tried.
It's not sold in stores in the Triangle. The only place in the state you can buy it cans or bottles is Greensboro and I guess that's okay. That just means I'll be back at my perch. At the Hibernian.

Gerry and Darren -- guess who's on the clock and who's not.

Hibernian Restaurant & Pub  
Raleigh Location:
311 Glenwood Ave.
Raleigh, NC 27603
Phone: 919-833-2258
Fax: 919-833-2275

Cary Location:
1144 Kildaire Farm Rd.
Cary, NC 27511
Phone: 919-467-9000
Fax 919-460-6599

Cuisine: Pub grub done right, served with a pint of Strongbow

Rating: ****

Prices: $$

Atmosphere: Quintessential pub

Noise level: low to moderate

Open: Mon – Sun 11 am to 2 am

Reservations: I guess, but I never bothered.

Other: Takes all plastic, nightly drink specials

We rank restaurants in five categories: Extraordinary***** Excellent**** Above average*** Average** Fair*