The Frugal Foodie: Gandhi

Last week we had a firey dinner at Gandhi, our favorite Indian restaurant in town. Although other Indian eateries in Vegas have their strong points, Gandhi wins it for us because of their sauces, consistency, atmosphere, and overall value. They have recently renovated the interior, which has really changed the whole feel of the restaurant and made it a place you can suggest for a special occasion or a first date (if you saw it before you would know why you couldn't do so in the past). There are semi-secluded alcoves that are intimate enough for a private party or group, an abundance of beautifully carved wood, and improved pieces of art on the walls.

Besides the friendly, attentive service and attractive new decor, the food is what keeps us coming back. We usually go for their fantasatic lunch buffet ($13.99), which has about four different meat options, including lamb on Friday's, and plenty of incredible vegetable dishes. Even though it is more than the $10 per person mark we target for lunch, it's definitely worth it as evidenced by the crowds at peak times. This time we came for dinner, which is also desirable because you can choose whatever you're in the mood for. As soon as you sit down you are given papadom (caraway seasoned lentil crackers) with a sweet tamarind sauce and a spicy mint and cilantro sauce. I challenge you not to eat the whole basket. We tend to order the same things (gosht vindaloo and mushroom mattar) but the bill can add up with all the extras such as naan, raita, and rice. This time in the interest of trying a variety of items and saving a little money Ian stuck with the gosht vindaloo (heat level of 10 - oh my gosht!) but I ordered the vegetable thali ($19.95), which comes with all the extras, as well as an appetizer, three small vegetarian dishes and dessert. The appetizer is vegetable pakora, which are fritters made with caulifower, potatoes, eggplant, onions, and spinach. I would have ordered them anyways because I LOVE these flavorful fried morsels dusted with a seasoning that puts them over the top. They always come out piping and the portion for the combo dinner is the same size as the a la carte version (only $3.50), so we weren't even able to finish them and still save room for our entrees. The Aloo Gobi (seasoned caulifower) and Saag (Indian spiced creamed spinach) that came with my dinner were delicious and an explosion of flavor as always. I find it totally perplexing how Indians can cook vegetables to death and still make them taste amazing. It just goes to show you with the right spice blend anything is possible!

If you have ever made Indian food you know how time consuming it is to toast and grind all the spices, which is the only way to get those pungent flavors. For this reason I've only made an Indian dish once, and although it turned out well, the exhaustion associated with it has led us to try out nearly every Indian restaurant in Vegas. Gandhi is our personal favorite, but here is a breakdown of pluses and minuses of other Indian restaurants:

Bollywood Grill
Pluses: Lentil soup, selection of Indian desserts
Minuses: Use of frozen vegetables, mediocre lunch buffet

India Oven
Pluses: lots of vegetarian options in buffet, unique dishes
Minuses: use of frozen vegetables, sauces hit or miss

Origin India
Pluses: sophisticated "fusion" dishes
Minuses: expensive, limited and overpriced lunch buffet that isn't very good

Mt. Everest
Pluses: great naan, inexpensive lunch buffet
Minuses: atmosphere, limited selection for lunch buffet

Today's Food Ratings:
Gosht Vindaloo: 9.25 (the lamb isn't gamey at all)
Gandhi Thali: 9
Vegetable Pakora: 9.5

Restaurant Rating: 8

Tip: There is a 15% off coupon that is always available on Gandhi's website.

Vegetable Pakora