Harini, Lawrenceville

While we know by now that there is no shortage of Indian food in our area, Harini is by far the closest place to our apartment. For us it is the perfect place to go when we get one of those random Tuesday night cravings for curry (you know those cravings... don't act like you don't). It's a small place, stuffed between two huge chain restaurants (they rhyme with Shmolive Harden and Wheeburger-Wheeburger... any guesses?), so it is often over looked in favor for the well known... which is fine with us, cuz that means faster service and no waiting for a table! Ha! We win!

This particular visit we started off our meal with the chicken 65. The bright red, boneless chunks came out to us and we were immediately drawn in by the smell. These were perfect... crispy on the outside, but crazy tender within. Little flecks of toasted garlic were sprinkled on top, adding a little crunch and some nutty flavor. This was not as spicy as chicken 65 that we have had elsewhere, which didn't really bother us, since it was an appetizer.

For dinner we ordered a lamb curry that was really good. Not like any curry I have ever had before. The texture was odd.... somehow thicker... the consistancy was a bit like that of butternut squash soup; a little thick, a little mealy, but certainly not unpleasant. The meat was super tender, no knife needed. The sauce tasted of tomato and onion and a ton of spices. It warmed up my tummy but didn't set my mouth ablaze, and for that I was thankful. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE spicy food, and even crave it at times, but I really enjoyed being able to taste every element of this dish without overwhelming heat, especially since it was my first time trying it.

Our other dish was an onion and chilli dosai, which is basically a super crispy, super thin crepe stuffed with potato, onion and chille along with a ton of other spices. While we knew that these are usually very large (we have had them many times before) this one was HUGE. Look at the butter knife in the picture below for a point of reference.... INSANE. The crepe itself was super crispy and soooo delicious. The filling was glorious for the most part.... mashed up potato mixed with onion always has a spot on my plate. The problem was the chilles. We knew to expect some heat, but the hot green chilles were ROUGHLY chopped, so every once in a while we would get a bite that literally stopped us in our tracks. A thumbail size chunk of spicy Indian chilli is enough to give you the head sweats right on the spot. This was delicious, but next time we may go for a chilli free dosai and just ask for the spice tray to add our own heat!

The place isn't at all fancy, colorful, or distinguished, but the food is damned good. The service is always friendly, the food fresh, and the flavors new and interesting. The menu is pretty extensive, with a nice mixture of North and South Indian dishes, and I think that there is something for everyone to enjoy. Just beware the chilli dosai!

Harini

http://www.harinirestaurant.com/

3349 Brunswick Pike #66

Lawrenceville- 08648

609 750 0488

Za, Pennington

We needed a new spot for date night.... somewhere not too fancy, not too far away, not too overpriced, but not boring. What we came up with is Za, a hip little place in Pennington, and it is exactly what we were hoping for. It doesn't seat too many people in the dining room, so it has an intimate feel. The back patio area is beautiful (and dare I say romantic!)... plants hang all around you.... it's almost sukkah- esque. It also doubles the seating, but clearly that is only helpful for part of the year. There is some funky modern art on the walls of the indoor space, and the outdoor tables are adorned with candles. Based on looks alone we deemed it 'perfect for date night'.

First thing out was the bread. This was no ordinary bread, my friends, this was special. Glistening buttery triangles of flat bread, sprinkled with herbs and salt served warm... AWESOME. I am all about bread... I just love it. I crave bread the way some people crave chocolate, and this was downright indulgent for me. A bit crispy, a bit chewey, this was the perfect way to start the meal.

Matt decided to go with a standard house salad... nothing wrong with that, but nothing super notable, either. My salad, on the other hand, was a flavor experience. It was a warm spinach and lentil salad, mixed in with raisins, tomato, and pistachio nuts. The lentils were seasoned with cumin and corriander, so they had that warm, smokey, foreign taste to them. With the sweet raisins and the salty pistachios, the unusual spices in the lentil really made for a crazy contrast. I enjoyed the different textures... crunchy nuts, chewey fruits, hearty lentils... it was all different tastes and feels at once. So delicious, but also crazy filling!

For dinner Matt went with the 'Za-Kabob' (not such a clever name, but a very tasty dish!) Two huge skewers of sausage, steak, mushrooms and roasted red pepper came out atop a large bed of sauteed spinach and pico de gallo mashed potatoes (more on those in a moment!) The sausage was tasty, with a snappy skin and serious grill marks. The meat was good... a bit dry if I had to complain, but otherwise super tasty. No flaws in the peppers or mushrooms, but seriously,I have never met a grilled vegetable I didn't like. The spinach was delicious... a little garlicy, very yum. The pico de gallo mashed potatoes were freaking insane. Imagine you're just sitting there, eating a bowl of mashed 'taters (as I am sure you often do) when all of a sudden someone walks by and drops a very chunky, kind of spicy salsa into the bowl! At first you're confused and a little mad, but you're soooo hungry so you eat it anyway.... BEST. DISCOVERY. EVER! This is genius. Mild, creamy potato, spicy onion and jalapeno, tart tomato, all together! YAYYYY!!!

I ordered the black truffle and goat cheese ravioli ('cuz I'm fancy like that!). These were insanely rich... a serious decadence overload! Thumb sized, paper thin slices of black truffle adorned the plate of silky, creamy ravioli. The sauce was heavenly... cheesey, thick, salty, flavorful, gooey... everything I dreamt it would be. The goat cheese stuffing in each piece of pasta was a bit sparse, but I guess any more would be a cheese overload. These were so rich that I couldn't even finish them.... Matt had to help me out and eat several (poor guy).

We loved Za... seriously. It was perfect for a date night (even a double date, but I would say to keep away with big parties!) An intimate setting with delightful food for a reasonable price... such a pleasure! Some fun things to note, there is 5% discount off of your check if you pay in cash, all of their food is cooked to order (which may mean waiting a bit longer to eat, but certainly means fresh fresh fresh!), and they have over 25 kinds of tea and 20 kinds of coffee! I cannot wait to get back here... seriously... it's November and I already want to make reservations for Valentines Day. THAT good. Yay, Za!

Za

http://www.zarestaurants.com/

147 West Delaware Ave

Pennington-08534

609 737 4400

Chapala, Hamilton

I crave Mexican food at least once a week, and ever since we moved to this area it's been a hard craving to satiate. I know that we can go to Mexican Village but it's a bit of a schlep for a week night, and we were hoping to find something a touch closer.... and then we did. Chapala is right on Route 33 in Hamilton (I wouldn't call the section of town sketchy, but the building and parking lot look like they have potential to be). It's super weird looking on the inside.... really reminiscent of a pizza place or burger bar... looks nothing like what I picture a Mexican place to look like. I mean they hung the standard colorful art and sombreros on the wall, but it just looks... off.

We first tried the place with ME and her friend D, who is not only a local, but the one who reccomended the place to us. We ordered guacamole for the table upon D's reccomendation and it was awesome. Creamy and cold and a little spicy and a little chunky... even Matt tried it (remember... he is anti avacado! This is a big step!) He not only liked it, he has been asking if we can go back just to order it. So ha. Guacamole from Chapala :1, Matt's preconceived notions of avacado hatred :0

D ordered the chicken flautas in the Chapala sauce. She swears that the Chapala sauce is the way to go, but it wasn't for me... it was a brown sauce and tasted very meaty and rich... I think it tasted like it belonged on a pot roast, not a flauta. Hey... she likes what she likes. The flauta's themselves, though, were very good. Crispy and tightly rolled, these were very nice.

ME ordered the taco salad with chicken. This was LOADED with chicken.... I mean LOOK at it! The chicken was practically pouring out of the bowl! The salad was delicious and stuffed with a ton of delectibles... the standard lettuce, tomato, and cucumber were joined by black olives, mushrooms, green pepper and onion as well as cheese, salsa, and sour cream. The dressing on the lettuce was odd though... it had an Asian feel to it... it was very similar to the ginger sesame vinagrette I have at home. It somehow managed to work with all of the components, but it certainly was not expected! The chicken was cooked very well.. a bit citrusy, a bit spicy, all tender. This dish also came along with quesadillas.... soooooo much food. ME couldn't come close to finishing everything on her plate.

Matt ordered the fajita platter, and as his proteins (you can choose two, if I remember correctly) he chose the steak and chicken. Usually when you order fajitas you get your meats on a sizzling bed of onion and pepper.... and that's fine. Chapala didn't agree. Their theory seems to be 'more is more'. The plate was literally overstuffed (seriously... look at the shot I took!) with huge portions of each meat (a bit sinewy on the steak, chicken was delightful) and then a load of veggies. Peppers and onions were now joined by broccoli, carrot, squash, and cauliflower. Actually, thinking about it, this also seemed to have a bit of an Asian flare.... those are pretty typical stir fry veg, yes? Whatever. Long story short it was good and super generous. He got the Chapala sauce on the side and smeared it all over everything. I guess this meaty sauce made more sense on this dish, but I still didn't like it. Matt loved it though.

I ordered the beef burrito with Roja sauce. The burrito was a bit smaller than I expected after seeing the rest of the dishes, but it was seriously dense with filling. Strips of steak were mingling with peppers and onions, all of which were seasoned with a bit of garlic and a touch of heat. The sauce was thick and surprisingly sweet. It had a nice end kick, but I couldn't get over the sweetness... it was downright odd.

We will be back to Chapala.... most of the dishes were well seasoned and delicious, even if I wasn't a fan of either sauce that I tried (and despite the wierd Asian thing that they may or may not be trying to force!). The service was really great and the price was reasonable, especially considering the sheer amount of food that we each received. I will do a follow up on this baby next time we go, and let you know if there is a sauce that I enjoy after all!

Chapala

811 Highway 33

Hamilton- 08619

609-631-0062