Indian Restaurants, Huntington, NY.
Restaurant Review

The Asian subcontinent is the focus of this serene Indian restaurant where you can enjoy vegetables samosas, saag paneer (spinach and cheese) and lamb boti kebab.

by Richard Jay Scholem

Indian food has always had a low profile in Huntington Village, where only one restaurant serves it. Recently the identity of that one storefront changed when House of India, a value -packed spot replaced Indus, a Pakistani-Indian eating place, at 256B Main Street in Huntington Village (631-271-0059). It's an improvement, especially when the sometimes timid kitchen cuts loose with garlic, ginger, cardamom, mint, mustard seed, cilantro, curry leaves, peppers and onions.

Although Americans tend to shy away from spicy dishes, at House of India the hot preparations were consistently tastier and more interesting than those ordered mild or medium.

A bearded, turbaned Sikh greets newcomers to the serene House of India, where women from the subcontinent, attired in suids, or flowing, flower-decorated gowns over long silken pants, glide through the dining room with its white tablecloths, candles, artificial flowers, crystal chandelier, Indian plates and prints, samovar and secluded alcove.

Most entrees here are in the $7.95 to $12.95 range. Soups cost around $3, while all but one of the hot appetizers is priced between $1.25 and $4.25. Desserts go for $3 to $3.95 and breads, the stars of the evening, range from $1.95 to $4.50.

There is no bread sampler on the menu, but at these prices, even thrifty eaters can create their own from among the selections available. They offer a fascinating diversity of sizes, shapes and flavors. Some are rich and powerful, others subtle and refreshing. They are roasted, baked and fired, fluffy and light or stuffed and substantial. Pay special attention to the ones made in the tandoor; they exude an addictive, smoky aroma. The garlic nan ($2.95) is one such possibility as is the basic nan ($1.95). Both these leavened bread choices are infused with butter and flavor. Tasty too was onion kulcha ($2.95), the herb and onion stuffed nan specialty from northern India. Even the pita-like tandoori roti ($1.95) was worth a shot. Puri ($2.95), two large, hollow, airy globes, made heads turn in the dining room. Stick a fork in one and it will go poof like a balloon. tear it apart with your fingers and use it to absorb the luxuriant entree sauces. Only the potato-stuffed breads proved to be dull.

The competent kitchen crew at House of India displayed some inconsistency as well. The mulligatawny soup ($2.95), an English-Indian vegetable purée collaboration, was flat on one visit and vibrant on another. The mixed tandoori platter ($15.95) was cooked on skewers in charcoal and served with curry sauce and crisp fringed onions, included red-hued, moist, dark chicken, slightly dry white meat morsels, a vibrant spice-fueled minced lamb cylinder and stringy, chewy stew-quality lamb chunks.

The seafood specialties, all accompanied by soup, scored the highest ranking among the main courses, and the house dinner for two ($34.95) was a bargain-priced survey course in Indian cuisine with its soup, six appetizers, two curries, pappadam, pillaw rice, yogurt, chutney, gulab jamun, or deep fried, honey-soaked pastry ball dessert, and tea or coffee.

Lobster curry, tender nubbins in a rich, mild sauce at $17.95 was the most expensive entree, and shrimp shahi korma ($15.95), sturdy sizable fellows in a creamy cashew-studded sauce, ordered hot was the spiciest. Buttery chicken ($11.95), boneless pieces of meat from the tandoor in tomato sauce, and the mellow rogan josh ($12.95), tender, fat-fringed lamb flavored with lots of garlic, ginger, onions and tomatoes, were two of the superior dishes.

Madras fried shrimp ($9.95), savory little tidbits presented with puri and given a spicy jolt by its green peppers, was the starter of choice, although the hot appetizer variety tray ($8.95), with its assortment of patties, fritters and turnovers, would feed a table of four.

Homemade mango ice cream ($3.50), embedded with fresh fruit, eclipsed all the other sweets.

Service at House of India, a new restaurant still finding its way, was earnest and concerned, but hesitant and tentative, sometimes deferential to a fault (as when no one appeared to take an order) and then premature (as when our check was presented before we finished our dessert). Yet House of India offered adventurous diners an opportunity to sample and share many intricately spiced, seductively herbed, complex presentations.