New Shalimar Take Out Restaurant (Nanuet, NY)

Now that I no longer live in the area, my mom likes to let me know about the new restaurants opening up.

“Oh… you have to go to the new Indian restaurant. It’s a grocery store too, but they have a buffet! Your dad went there and got all this food for 6.99! Go buy lunch there today and get another so you have lunch for tomorrow…”

Karavalli Lunch Buffet (Nanuet, NY)

I recently met up with my friend S for a quick lunch. He really can’t go that far, so we’re limited to places in the Nanuet/Pearl River area. I originally wanted to check out the new Indian restaurant on Little Tor Road, but that’s New City and would cut into S’s eating time. He suggested Karavalli, which is just down the road.

I bet reading this makes you think of the Karavalli in Albany. Well guess what… they’re affiliated with one another, as indicated on their take out menus and the website.

The price of Karavalli’s lunch buffet is slightly more expensive than the lunch buffets I’m used to ($9.95 weekday lunch, $13.95 weekend brunch), but I suppose in exchange for a higher price is more variety in their dishes. If you can see in that picture up there, they had a noodle dish. Now I will readily admit I am not very knowledgeable in Indian cuisine, so I can’t say if that vermicelli dish is something you would commonly see. But it was new to me, so I tried it. Not bad, although it reminded me of Singapore noodles.

I wasn’t as hungry as I normally am when it comes to buffet, and only got up for more food two more times, just to try a little here and there. I hardly touched the naan, and what little I ate was tasteless and greasy.

 

I saved enough room for dessert. They had two offerings- milk dumplings and kheer. The kheer was okay, but it is pretty much rice pudding. The milk dumplings I’ve never seen before and I thought they were too sweet.

So far I haven’t found an Indian restaurant in Rockland County that appeals to me. It’s a shame, since I really do like Indian food. I think I’ll have to check out the new place over in New City. It’s in the space that used to be a Mexican restaurant. And just like the restaurant that preceded it, I have a feeling it’s not going to last.

CiCi’s Pizza (Colonie, NY)

Today was the official opening of Cici’s Pizza in Colonie. I wouldn’t have known about it had I not looked at Steve Barnes’ Table Hopping blog and his brief mention of it.

One free pizza buffet a month for a whole year to the first hundred people to show up at their grand opening? Okay, I’m game. M too.



We made it over to Wolf Road just after 10:30, thinking that half an hour before opening wouldn’t be too early, and hopefully the line wouldn’t be impossible (the line we saw the day before  wasn’t too bad… and that was the pre-opening opening). And we were right- no crazy crowds, just order and what could only be some very tired people. By the time we joined, the line had reached the entrance to Outback Steakhouse.



I’m not sure when the first person on line got there, but it was pretty early. A woman ahead of us told M and I that her daughter got there at six in the morning so she could be one of the first to get in. Sounds crazy, but eh… it’s summer Gives you something to do, and a story to tell when you’re older.

People at the front of the line made their wait as comfortable as possible by bringing folding chairs and blankets. Many of the groups waiting to enter were families with young children (from the looks of it, the demographic CiCi’s may be aiming for).



If you were one of the first hundred, you were given a “token” as seen on the left. As you walked in, you handed your “token” to the owner, who in return handed over the free meal card.

Inside was bright, cheery, and very chain-like. After entering you are steered straight to the register where they do their hellos and explain how the buffet works. The $4.99 covers just the food, and it’s another $1.6(5/9) for a regular sized drink. Throw in another .75 cents and you get a large take out cup (which has some tab thing where you can win more free stuff).



I figured I’d whip up a layout of the place so you get a better idea of what’s going on. This could be their generic layout for all I know, but it’s very different from most buffets.



Salad Bar – There were two options available, although they looked exactly alike. Both were iceberg mixes, one just looked shinier than the other (pre-dressed salad I guess). There were some chopped vegetables you could add to your salad, and a few different types of dressing. I especially liked the large slices of mushrooms. No skimping out there.



Soup/Pasta/Garlic Bread – Both the soup and pasta tasted like they came from a can. I didn’t try the pasta, but M said it reminded him of Chef Boyardee. Funny, because the soup almost instantly made me think of Campbell’s soup. Little salty, little sweet, but good enough. Did not necessarily like the bits of “chicken.” As for the garlic bread… I might be rushing judgment here, but don’t eat it. I tried to look up the ingredients for what they put on it, but it’s nowhere to be found on their website. The garlic bread is one of their zero trans fat items, so I’m pretty sure it’s chock full of artificial ingredients. A good thing to know is that the marinara sauce they will offer you to accompany the garlic bread will absolutely cover that chemical taste.

 

Pizza – The customers at the opening today seemed to like the pasta topped pizzas. I didn’t have any, but I saw quite a few people going for the macaroni & cheese pizza. And for a second I swore I saw a Hamburger Helper topped pizza, but it was probably the Italian style sausage or beef pizzas. I helped myself to the Pepperoni flip, regular pepperoni, and thin crust Italiano. The pepperoni pizza was okay, but the dough was a little chewy. The thin crust was not as crisp as I thought it would be, and it was a tad too salty (but corrected with a dip in that tomato sauce). The flip I did not like at all- it was salty and oddly runny. I don’t know if that was from the oil that cooked out of the pepperoni or the cheese they used. But like the Italiano, a dunk in that tomato sauce made it much more tolerable.



Dessert – The apple pizza and the cinnamon rolls were pretty good. I’d actually consider ordering a whole apple pizza pie.

Lunch for two was just under 15 bucks. Not too bad, considering what I ate wasn’t the greatest stuff. Will I be going here often? No, but I will stop by at least once a month. And the prices on their take out pizzas (I think I saw $4.99 for a medium and $5.99 for a large 1-topping) are very budget friendly. We’ll see if M and I ever check it out.

CiCi's Pizza
145 Wolf Road
Colonie, NY 12205
518-482-2424

Su - Th 11:00A - 10:00P
Fri - Sa 11:00A - 11:00P

Shalimar (Latham, NY)

Have you heard the story about the Shalimar's of the Capital Region? About how it's a chain, and not a chain? But it's still a family thing, although not immediate family. Both Steve Barnes and Bill Dowd have done the Shalimar breakdown, so there's really not much for me to comment on it... except there is no mention of the Shalimar in Troy and where it factors into all of this.

The Latham Shalimar is in the space that was once occupied by Afghan Grill, which from what I hear was sold. Shame, since I really wanted to try it out. I know there's at least two other Indian restaurants in Latham, but none that I can think of on that stretch of Rt. 7.

The interior seems a little cramped with all the tables, but somewhat sparse with the decorations. There are pictures that line one of the walls, and some decorative wall hangings, and all those lights! But still... it felt sparse.

I started with the Mulligatawny soup - made with lentils, tomato, lemon and spices. It was served with a lemon slice and cilantro, which is the first time that has ever happened. I crushed the lemon and it... I guess lightened the flavor? Lemoned the flavor? I'm not finding the right way to describe it, but it was good.

Lamb Palak - lamb meat cooked with spinach. I normally order Chicken Palak, but M pushed the lamb, claiming it would be more authentic that way. The meat was tender and the spinach was creamy. It's good with the rice that accompanies it, but even better with naan. Imagine they made burrito-like things with naan and any type of palak? Or even better... what if there were samosas filled with lamb palak? That would be an amazing appetizer!

Oh those tangents! I liked it. A little of it totally filled me up, but can you really complain about leftovers?

M went with the Mattar Paneer - green peas cooked with homemade cheese. In typical fashion, he inhaled his meal... I didn't get a chance to sneak a bite! It seems that this dish is commonly found on the lunch buffet menu, which is why he went with it. M also said something about it being the only non-meat item so... something something something.

If you are interested, they have a daily lunch buffet from 11:30 - 3:00. The sign along the road had it priced at $6.99, but I don't know if it's more on the weekends.

Our meal, which consisted of soup, two entrées, one order of naan, and one soda (with free refills) came out to 33 dollars, tax and tip included.

Shalimar
952 Troy Schenectady Road
Latham, NY 12110
(518) 389-2500

M-Th: 11:30 - 10:00
F: 11:30 - 11:00
S: 12:00 - 11:00
Su: 12:00 - 10:00

Eating Together... and Apart

Eating with M can be downright painful. The vegetarian thing really doesn't help, since almost everywhere in the CR is not vegetarian friendly- at all.

He also has a habit of eating horribly. This is a typical day for him:

• Breakfast: Coffee.
• Lunch: Coffee. Maybe a donut, or a slice of pizza from the cafeteria.
• Dinner: Coffee. More coffee. Maybe three bowls of cereal. If he's coming in from Albany, he might stop by Taco Bell and get two bean and rice burritos and a cheese quesadilla. Or, if he's feeling adventurous, he'll turn the stove on and make Rice a roni.
  

Saturday I had a craving for buffet so we went over to Kobe in Latham. I thought there would be something for him, but of course! not a thing to eat (he can be so freaking picky). So he sat there while I stuffed my face silly. Surprisingly, I really like their kimchi- more heat than sour.

When I was finished, we stopped by Taco Bell so he could get his usual.

Doesn't he make an excellent dining partner?

/rant

Royal Indian Lunch Buffet (Albany, NY)

My Kheer ending at lunch buffet. The dal I had really hit the spot... my new winter soup. I have another picture, but I'll have to upload it later. Time for my nap before work.

Two lunch buffets came out to $17.17 (after tax).