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

I have written before about my high regard for Panahar on Buford Highway. I decided on a rainy evening to try their takeout. Both the shippability of dishes and the timeliness of delivery can make the delivery experience differ from the in-restaurant fare. I can report that delivery was prompt---something like 30 minutes---and the food arrived in very good condition. I ordered chana begoon: chicipeas mixed with pureed eggplant and tomatoes. Indian restaurants serve what is at least a similar dish; this version empahsized the tomato more than the cream, which I very much liked. The brightness of the tomato sauce gave the dish a nice zing. The peas pulao was an add-on and very enjoyable.

Ruchi opened recently on Peachtree in Brookhaven, next to Galla's. It offers Bangladeshi food in a very nice environment. (Is Bangladeshi a new trend?) Although the kitchen was a little slow when I visited, the service was very warm and welcoming. A few pages of the menu. These are pappor, served with tamarind and mint sauces. Although the name is different, they seemed to be identical to Indian papadum, crunchy and flavorful. This is shobjir korma, which turned out to differ from the Indian kormas I am used to in some very nice ways. The sauce does not include tomatoes. Instead, the main flavor note is a pleasant buttery taste. The sauce envelops mostly green vegetables, with a little bit of carrot and potato thrown in. The spices were different as well, although I couldn't successfully identify them. My naan was very pillowy and soft, a wonderful treat.

I joined Grant and Marie for an enjoyable dinner at Panahar . Grant and I started with mulligatawny: For my main course, I ordered chicken korma and a whole wheat bread. The bread had a great wheaty taste; although it was cooked in butter, it wasn't greasy. Marie ordered a vegetarian dish while Grant ordered a beef dish and beef-stuffed bread.

The Gang of Food convened at Purnima for a wonderful Bangladeshi meal. Thanks for the tip, Yorai! A few notes are in order. The food was much like northern Indian to my untrained eye but the sauces were much hotter---not eye-popping hot but a very strong slow burn. The pastries---naan and samosa (although they used a different term)---were superb. They have a full selection of goat dishes that were excellent. We had several dishes with eggplant, a group favorite. The tandoor selections were also excellent. Here are some photos for you to enjoy...

The strip mall on Buford Highway where Pandahar is located is eclectic even by Atlanta standards: Ethiopian, Salvadorean, South American, Ryan's Steak House, bowling alley. We went there at the recommendation of my colleage Yorai Wardi. It's too bad that we didn't take his advice sooner. I have less experience with Bangladeshi food than with Indian food. The basic style of Bangladeshi food seems reminiscent of north Indian cooking but with some special dishes. Egg dishes seem particularly popular. What sets Pandahar apart is their spices. Two dishes that one normally doesn't pay much attention to were wonderfully spiced. The lentil soup was rich and delicately spicy. The iced tea was also spiced---a wonderful intersection of American Southern and Bangladeshi cuisines. Lunch was a buffet that is ridiculously cheap given the quality of the food. They also push nan---they come out regularly to the tables and hand out hot, fresh slices. Luckily, they cut them into sma...