Little India

It's like a carnival in your mouth

Location: Denver, CO Website: www.ufeedme.com/littleindia

Van Orman is crazy about Indian food. When he was searching for a way to describe the joy of Indian cuisine he settled on the phrase: It's like a carnival in your mouth. Of course, there is Indian food and then there is Indian food. Rest assured, at Little India, you're getting the former. Or was it the latter? I lose track of these things if they're not written down. Either way, have no fear. At Little India it's not just a carnival, it's Mardi Gras. Or maybe I should say it's Diwali.

It's best to take a crowd to eat Indian. There's always so much to try and you need at least one person per entree unless you brought your little red wagon to take home the leftovers. I was there with two other folks, so we were limited. We decided on the old reliable, chicken tikka masala. Rather than do a curry this time we opted for a korma. (I was leaning toward lamb but he-who-shall-remain-unnamed announced he despises lamb and nobody wanted seafood so chicken korma it was.)

My final choice was bhindi masala. A word of advice: if you've never tried an okra dish at an Indian place, you're missing out. They usually have great flavor without the heavy sauce. Search the menu for the word "bhindi" next time. If you don't see it, ask about it. You won't regret it. Especially if they have bhindi bhaji. Num!

Basmati rice and naan completed the order and we had more than we could finish. Unfortunately the hotel had no fridge or microwave, so we had to leave the leftovers behind.

Little India has an extensive menu -- tandoori, curries, masalas, kormas, saags, vindalos, bhuna, biryanis and specialities -- all sounding extremely wonderful. It also has a lunch buffet, which is one way to address the I-want-to-try-everything issue without conscripting your extended family and acquaintances for your visit.

We ate early, which is probably a good idea. I expect this place fills up quickly. One clue (as if the menu and quality of the food weren't enough) was the presence of excess servers lurking around. They had the air of those nervously marking time during the calm before the storm.

There are three locations. I highly recommend the place. I tried the 6th Street location. I expect the others are just as good. Don't miss it if you can.