Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

Bismallah Grill is a new entry in the Buford Highway derby. It's small and cozy; the owner was very hospitable and gracious. The food is good, too. Their menu is an interesting mix of styles. It combines hard-core Indian entries like the mixed grill with very traditional Chinese dishes. I ordered the chili chicken, which I found very satisfying. The chicken was very flavorful and tender. The brown sauce was rich enough to be a complement but not overwhelming. It also passed the tears-of-joy test: I teared up but could still read. The tea deserves special mention. This is full-on Indian tea, complete with spices and milk. It's the sort of drink that makes you think Americans are too wimpy with our tea.

I finally made it to Chinese Dhaba in the Global Mall on Jimmy Carter Boulevard. I spied it a few months ago. It's in the food court in a largely Indian shopping center. Chinese Dhaba purveys Chinese food with an Indian twist. I discovered Chinese/Indian food about 10 years ago in Schaumburg, Illinois. It's a very old fusion cuisine that comes from ethnic Chinese who settled in India. I've talked to people who know about it but it is hard to find, so when I stumbled across this place I knew that I had to make a special trip to try it. I had the vegetarian spring samosas and ginger chicken in brown sauce. The samosas are samosa shape but made with the thinner wrapper of a spring roll, not the thick roll of a samosa. I ate them with just a touch of Chinese hot sauce---very fresh and delicious. The brown sauce was a little heavy for my taste, but I really enjoyed the ginger note in the chicken. The sauce was thicker than the average Chinese sauce, and I think th...