hey! what about Akbar across the St. I think these two old restaurants are like competing neighbors who have lived across the street from each other forever!
I think Akbar has an Indian Brunch too....

Good point. I'm not sure people think of it as a bargain special occasion place, though. EL

My sweetie and I walked across to Akbar for his birthday when The Helmand was packed. Akbar was only half full and we got one of the little booth tables. Oh my! i fell in love with the place. It's so cozy and romantic. I love the decor. And the food was amazing. He was extremely happy with Indian food for his birthday. I still have to introduce him The Helmand and then we might have to stand in the middle of Charles Street and chose where to go because I know he'll love it.

Akbar is decent American-style northern Indian food. It isn't authentic. The decor is nice and relaxing, though.

My grandmother just turned 90 and we celebrated her birthday on Saturday at the Helmand. She asks that we go there every year for her birthday. They have accommodated us as the family has grown (my brother has 3 children, I have one) and the owner still takes the time to talk with my grandmother, even with a packed house. Always a wonderful meal.

Is it me or does it seem that a lot of Indian restaurants are run by people from the NW of India? I'm no expert on Indian cuisine, but are there distinct styles in other areas?

OMG said: Is it me or does it seem that a lot of Indian restaurants are run by people from the NW of India? I'm no expert on Indian cuisine, but are there distinct styles in other areas?

India is a very big country, and has lots of different styles. You don't see many of them in the Baltimore area, though.

I'm looking forward to the Indian steak house that is supposed to be opening where Timothy Dean's Bistro is. Hmmm, Punjabi barbecue.

OMG, you are right. Most Indian food in the US is roughly Punjabi, with maybe a few Kashmiri flourishes, often cooked by Bangladeshis and Gujaratis.

There is the occasional Southern Indian restaurant, but they are usually Tamil, and aren't common.

I lived in the Konkan, and the type of food I ate simply isn't available here.

There are more Indian cuisines, as Hal noted, than Chinese. I won't turn a one of them down, though.

i would be interested in what some of the differences between Indian regional foods are.

If most of the Indian restaurants are serving northern west Indian food, than most of the Indian food we are eating is coming from a Muslim oriented culture, as oppossed to a Hindu oriented culture. What we are seeing as Indian food, could be more of a hybrid version of Persian cuisine.

Robert, it is hard to talk about Muslim versus Hindu culture in India, no matter what the RSS says. It is far more mixed than that, plus you've got Christians (St. Thomas went to India), Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, etc.

You can say Persian influenced. Biriyanis are Persian influenced, for sure. There was a lot of movement between Persia through Afghanistan and into northern India (and beyond, to China) over the centuries.

To grossly oversimplify (and I'm not an expert), northern Indian cuisines tend to be wheat based, use less hot spicing and have more meat. Southern Indian cuisines tend to use less or no meat, are rice based and have more heat in the spicing.

Then you get cuisines like Indian Chinese food, which is very different than both authentic Chinese and American Chinese or street food. Indian street foods are amazing, and worth a trip there to research.

This just in:

Nominations for James Beard Awards announced!

Unfortunately, nothing from the Baltimore area, but a few Washington nominees:
Best New Restaurant - Central Michel Richard, Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Chef - Jose Andres, Minibar, Washington, D.C.
Rising-star Chef - Johnny Monis, Komi, Washington, D.C.

Excellent post Lissa. I am intrigued by the possibility of Goa cuisine, with the influences of the ocean and the Portuguese. Know anything about that? Of course the only influence the English conquerors could have had on the food would be BAD.

OMG,
If you are interested in Goa cuisine, Penzeys Spices http://www.penzeys.com has a Vindaloo Seasoning:

Vindaloo Seasoning - salt free Real Hot
This hot and spicy blend comes from Goa, a small state nestled in the middle of the Malabar Coast of India. Though control of Goa was returned to India in 1961, the four and a half centuries of Portuguese rule left many lasting impressions. Pork Vindaloo is a favorite dish of the Catholics, who make up a third of the population of Goa. The Muslims and Hindus of India do not eat pork, preferring Vindaloo lamb, chicken or duck. This blend is hot, but has been toned down for American tastes. Mix 2-5 TB. spice in 2-5 TB. water, set aside. Heat 5 TB. ghee or oil, brown 4 cubed red potatoes. Brown 1½ lb. pork or beef cubes, remove, and then brown 1 large minced onion. Put browned pork back into pot, add Vindaloo paste, 1 Cup water, 6 TB. vinegar and 1 tsp. salt, cook 30 minutes. Add potato, then cook for 30 minutes. For the authentic fiery hot style Vindaloos that are served in the open-air beach front restaurants, add an equal part cayenne pepper. Hand-mixed from: coriander, garlic, cumin, ginger, Korintje cinnamon, crushed brown mustard, cayenne red pepper, jalapeño pepper, cardamom, turmeric, Tellicherry black pepper and cloves.

Enjoy!

Ah, Goa. Lovely place, if you aren't a young British girl with no supervision.

They do a lot of fish, of course, and vindaloo is the one Goan dish you see here. They frequently use a lot of coconut, as they are influenced by Kokani food (which is what I ate when I lived there).

I don't remember much of a Portuguese influence, but I was only in Goa for under a week. What I most remember is that it was the only place in India where I saw pork and beef. And Goan fish curry is one of my favourite things on earth.

MOF, good call. Penzey's rocks. Except I don't like their curry mixes. Haven't tried their vindaloo, though.

Isn't Goa a haven for hippies?