• 28Oct

    Side-by-Side Sister Restaurants, Karizma & Karma Deliver Modern Indian Fare

    Silk Route
    Nirvana 37
    A Moment
    Tellicherry Pepper Crab
    Coconut Avocado Tikki
    Saffron Duck
    Dal Lentil Halwa
    Dodha Burfi

    Side-by-side sister restaurants, Karizma and Karma Modern Indian are a block from Chinatown and have some very interesting dishes. Karma has transitioned to a reservation-only tasting menu concept, with a selection of 4, 6, and 9-course menus show casing a rich culinary journey across the Indian subcontinent. We were lucky enough to try a few of these modern Indian dishes and a couple of cocktails and a small media dinner. Karizma is more casual and features an ala carte menu.

    The cocktails we tried at Karizma were the Silk Route, featuring Tequila, Pineapple, Turmeric, Basil and A Moment, featuring Vodka, Beetroot Shrub, Aperol, Falernum. I preferred Silke Route since A Moment was a little sweet for me, but both were well-crafted cocktails.

    Karizma’s signature dish, Nirvana 37 includes 37 carefully-selected ingredients: mango, fennel root, turnip, watermelon radish, lotus root, edamame, affila cress, micro cilantro, basil leaves, Aji Amarillo peppers, onion, garlic, Kashmiri chilies, dates, ginger, spinach, potatoes, lemon, beetroot, sorrel, frisée lettuce, radish daikon, jaggery, tamarind, asafoetida, mustard oil, chickpea flour, rice flour, black rice, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, onion seeds, fennel seeds, black salt, fenugreek seeds, turmeric powder, and black pepper. This vegan dish is a tasty collection of flavors and textures. The crispy noodles are made from chickpeas and rice, giving them a different texture than heavier traditional chickpea only versions.

    We moved next door to Karma where we tried the Tellicherry Pepper Crab (roasted garlic cremeaux, jakhiya, and yellow chili powder; region: Kerala), Coconut Avocado Tikki (red peppers, shallots, and spearmint; region: Tamil Nadu) and Saffron Duck (fennel, broccoli rice, watermelon radish; region: Himachal Pradesh). All three of these dishes were excellent, but I found the avocado dish to be the most surprising, since I have not tried similar cooked avocado dishes.

    Desserts were the Dal Lentil Halwa with Pat De Fruit and Dodha Burfi with Rabri Mousse. Both desserts were both creatively presented and tasty.

    Pricing at Karma: 4 course menu – $95, 6 course menu – $125, 9 course menu – $165. 

    It is great having these restaurant concepts side-by-side in the area. Give them a try if you’re an Indian food fan.

    -JAY

    Disclaimer: From time to time, we are given free meals, but out opinions are our own.

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  • 17Jan

    A Grande Fiesta of Flavor

    • Guacamole
    • Burrito Gordo
    • Tres Enchiladas (Shredded Beef, Cheese & Onion, Chicken)
    • Chips & Salsa

    A few nights ago my family and I went to one of the more favorite local restaurants, Tequila Grande (in Oakton). At Tequila Grande, guests should be aware that the “grande” in the name is by no means a joke. The portions and quality at TG are unmatched for this classical Mexican eatery. The interior of the restaurant is very comforting as the orange painted walls and many windows present a homely vibe. The menu at Tequila Grande offers an array of different Mexican specialties like carne asada, enchiladas, and tacos in addition to more Americanized menu options like burritos and chimichangas.

    When we arrived were greeted with chips and salsa as we perused the menu. As customary at Tequila Grande we started off with their fresh guacamole. The guacamole is smooth and spicy and served in a very charming blue corn tortilla bowl that gets slowly devoured with the dip. For dinner, I ordered the biggest menu item they have, the burrito-gordo. This is the biggest burrito I have ever experienced in my life. It is overflowing with flavorful ground beef, stewed chicken, re-fried beans, and Spanish rice. The burrito is also covered in cheese, pico-de-gallo, and sour cream. As terrifying as it looks coming straight at you it is an extremely delicious burrito with a dense and hearty filling that leaves you stuffed for several days. As usual, however, I was only able to eat half the burrito and saved the rest for later (which is perfectly fine as it heats up great).

    My father ordered his favorite, the enchiladas. His go-to combination, which he highly recommends to anyone ordering enchiladas is one shredded beef, one cheese and onion, and one stewed chicken. I had a portion of some of his as we were all sharing and the winner to me was the tender shredded beef enchilada. All of them come smothered in sauce and cheese served alongside beans and rice.

    My sister and mother shared a combination of chicken and shrimp fajitas. As they were picking at my burrito I grabbed a small flour tortilla and scooped the grilled shrimp, caramelized onions and soft bell peppers into the tortilla. I topped it with some sour cream, salsa and lettuce and had a fantastic albeit wet mini shrimp taco.

    The food at tequila grande may be grande but that does not at all undercut its quality. Being a small family establishment tequila grande manages to have some of the best Mexican food while also having a lovely atmosphere all for a reasonable price in local midtown Vienna. It is somewhere you should definitely consider the next time you are in the mood for a fiesta of flavor.

    -ARM

    Editor’s Note 12/20/2020: Tequila Grande was recently rebranded as Mama Tigre (under the same ownership). It is now fusion of Mexican and Indian cuisines.

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  • 15May

    Goan Shrimp Curry

    IMG_2701Guest blogger Maya reports great success with this family recipe – however, she warns that you *really* need to take your time with this, especially taking care to cook slowly and not let things burn. Indian cuisine, she reminds us, requires constant attention and no multi-tasking.

    This is why it’s her recipe, not mine.   😉

    The Shrimp:

    • 1 – 1.5 pounds large or extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined.

    The Marinade:

    • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground peppercorns
    • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)

    To make the marinade, place all of the ingredients in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Add the shrimp, toss to coat, and refrigerate.

    The Sauce:

    • 1 cup water
    • 1/4 cup canola oil (don’t use olive oil – flavor is too strong)
    • 24 curry leaves, roughly torn (optional)
    • 4 dried red chiles
    • 1 teaspoon ground peppercorns
    • A 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
    • 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
    • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
    • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
    • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
    • 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes (OR 4 chopped salad tomatoes)
    • 1 teaspoon Sambhaar powder, or 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
    • 1 can of full fat coconut milk
    • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

    Preparation:

    Set 1/2 cup of water next to the stovetop. Heat the oil with the curry leaves (if using) and chiles in a medium pot over medium-high heat until the curry leaves start to sizzle, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ground peppercorns and cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in the ginger, onion, and salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is browned, about 8 minutes, sprinkling with water and stirring whenever the onion and ginger begin to stick to the bottom of the pot.

    Add the garlic, coriander, and turmeric and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the tomatoes to the pot. Cook, stirring and scraping the browned bits up from the sides and bottom of the pot, for 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium high and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. [if using fresh chopped tomatoes instead of canned, will take a bit longer than 5 minutes to cook it down. Use really high heat and stir often, adding 1/2 cup water if it gets too dry.]

    Stir in the Sambhaar and cook for 1 minute, and then pour in the coconut milk. Bring to a boil and add the shrimp and any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer and cook until the shrimp are curled and opaque, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and enjoy!

    ———-

    – MAW

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  • 16Jul

    Tandoori Eggplant: Redux!

    Eggplants, by jayluker

    Eggplants, by Flickr user jayluker

    A few years ago I developed (OK, maybe that’s a stretch: I made up) my Tandoori eggplant bites as an easy go-to party dish. Unable to either leave well enough alone or to keep doing things in an easy way, recently I decided to update the dish. By which I mean: “I didn’t have the right ingredients handy and was too lazy to go to the store, but at least planned long enough in advance to make something complicated.”

    This time around, I used small regular purple eggplants (sliced into rounds and purged*), for starters, and I marinated and grilled them instead of a rub and roast.

    For the marinade, I used:

    • 12 tsp tandoori spice
    • 2 tsp Vegeta
    • 2 tbs olive oil
    • 1 tbs lemon juice
    • 1 tsp red wine vinegar
    • 2 tsp mirin

    I marinated the sliced eggplant about 6 hours, and then grilled. They turned out to be really tasty, and people at the party ate them up. In fact, I even used mine, with some hot sauce on top, as a last-minute veggie burger, which worked very well, and might be another variation to try (on purpose)!

    *Funny story: when I had sliced all my eggplants, I realized that I was out of table salt, so I purged them with sea salt I ground into powder with my coffee grinder and used a colander as a sieve. This, it turns out, is a thing that can be done. I don’t recommend it.

    – MAW

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