First off, I'd like to thank a new friend from this weekend who helped me name this post. Ok, acknowledgments aside, it was a long weekend spent without my computer so I have some catching up to do...
Once again this past "Jersday" as The Roommate has dubbed it, my foodie friends and I got together for some sophisticated television, courtesy of our favorite East Coasters. Great people, catty television, all we needed were the eats! After much deliberation, we decided to try an Indian restaurant that we've had our eye on for a little while.
Aab India is located in Grandview and owned by a family that has 5 successful Indian restaurants in Cincinnati. They serve Northern Indian Cuisine and have takeout or dine-in available. The gorgeous interior is a great little surprise, as the exterior is super unassuming. We decided on takeout and showed up in relaxed, comfy clothes...we felt very under-dressed as the dining experience was clearly slightly more refined than our "jeans and tees" look!
Let me tell ya, the food was outstanding! I tried a little of everyone's dish and each one was better than the last! The Roommate had never had Indian before and is a complete convert-we will be going back regularly for.sure! Ok, ok, here's what I got. I've only had Indian a few times so every menu is still my proverbial "candy store." I'd read a great review for Aab India's Chicken Tikka Marsala so that's what I went for this time. Of course, I had to have my naan! I got a garlic naan and a regular...seriously, I love naan.
Getting home, we all tore open our "rations" and started digging in. I tried a keema samosa, or a fried pocket of beef, for my appetizer. It was crunchy and filled to the max with spiced beef-yum! They gave us 3 chutneys to try with them, although the chutneys were all delish, the samosas definitely stood on their own! The chutneys were a chili-onion, mint-cilantro, and a sweeter tamarind chutney. My Tikka Marsala was incredibly tender chicken pieces drrrenched in a creamy tomato-based sauce. I couldn't get enough! I got the medium heat option and it was just enough to make me feel the heat, but definitely not too much. The naan was, get this...still steaming hot when we got home! I seriously question whether I took a single breath as I inhaled the dish!
I'm also kind of budget-conscious, their portion served me and my younger sister for dinner when she dropped by for a surprise visit! Then, I had a very filling portion for lunch the next day! There's very little that can cheer up a Friday at work like a seriously delicious lunch...or maybe that's just me?
The rest of the weekend was spent traveling to Dayton to take my Graduate Record Exam that I have been dreading for months. The test went well, but I am definitely ready to be back home and devoting myself to finding some great recipes!
This week the plan is a Shrimp and Grits going-away dinner for one of my best friends before she heads back to school to be a physician assistant so I might someday live in her guest cottage...
I've also found a unique Strawberry-Melon Gazpacho recipe that I will definitely be trying out for a fresh end-of-summer dessert, looks incredible!
The goal is a recipe-a-day...get ready for some intense food blogging!
