Sitar India Palace - Durham (Indian) - ∆∆ 1/2

Food - ∆∆∆
Service - ∆∆
Atmosphere - ∆∆ ½

Sitar India Palace remains our favorite restaurant in the area for Northern Indian cuisine. They have a very reasonable dinner buffet on Friday, Saturday (and perhaps Sunday?) evenings that we enjoy because of its impressive variety of offerings and quality that matches the dishes you order off the menu.

The restaurant’s interior, while modest, boasts elements that take it a step above the banal. The lighting is dim, white linens cover the tables, tasteful artwork and taj-mahal-shaped arch cutaways separate dining areas to create an intimate feel. The interior certainly belies the abandoned shopping center in which it is located, which features a closed Kroger’s, a closed Baskin Robbins, and many other vacant storefronts. First time there, we almost drove away without getting out of the car because of its setting, but don’t let it fool you. The upside: parking is never a problem.

The host or hostess usually promptly seats us, unless there’s a wait, but the staff is extremely efficient at clearing tables. I always order a mango lassi with my meal, and the stuff they serve here is righteous (but then again, I’ve never found a mango lassi that I haven’t enjoyed). Highlights from the buffet line, which is constantly replenished, include the creamy palak, chicken tikka masala (ranks as the best incarnation of this dish I’ve had – tied with the closed Swagat in Mountain View, CA), tandoori chicken, deep fried potatoes, alu gobi, shrimp vindaloo, and buttery naan.

This is only a small fraction of what is offered, but I tend to stay away from the really spicy stuff, as I have a low tolerance of curry-style spiciness. Fresh paratha bread is brought tableside with regularity or at request.

While the newcomer Saffron is garnering the most buzz at the moment, my personal call is that Sitar remains a cut above. It’s always a pleasure.

La Shish - Cary (Middle Eastern) - ∆∆

Food - ∆∆
Service - ∆∆
Atmosphere - ∆∆


I drove to Cary this evening to La Shish to get my shawarma fix. Combo. platter of beef shawarma and lamb kabob. The beef shawarma came on a bed of rice, and the chunks were plenty moist, tender, and flavorful. The lamb was quite well prepared too and had a vibrant and smooth flavor to it. Based on a Bay Area standard, this was good Jordanian/Lebanese cuisine. Not as spectacular or generous portions-wise as some places back West, but also far better than some of the atrocious corner store dives I've experienced out there.

The BAKLAVA, however, was hands down the best I've had at a restaurant. Greg Cox had it right: "a triangular tower of walnuts, orange blossom-scented sugar syrup and shatter-crisp phyllo pastry that so far exceeds the sum of its simple parts as to defy description." The only baklava I've had that compares in quality was baked by the Greek (so different style) woman who was the Resident Fellow in college out at CA.

La Shish - a good happy medium, and I'll definitely return there.