Last night I journeyed to the theater district of Boston to watch the Magnetic Fields with husband and two huge fans, well perhaps superfan is a better description for one. Superfan and Fan are Indian, and as such, have a love for good Indian food. So they took us to Tantric on Stuart Street.
Before I continue this blog, I must confess. I do LOVE Indian food, I wish I knew how to make it better. But, most days I get my Indian fix by going to the food court next to my school. It is a very good Indian food court place and I love their saag. However, the atmosphere of the food court cannot compete with the atmosphere of Tantric. So already Tantric was a leap ahead of my typical Indian food experience.
I thought the food was to die for. My dinner was mango chicken, spicy level 5, with garlic naan accompanied by my very first Amstel Light. Be it said that I am on a huge mango kick at the moment, I loved my food. It had the richness of Indian food with just enough spicy to give it a special kick. We also had delicious appetizers but I have a bad memory and forgot to take pictures. I believe one was Gobi Manchurian. It is deep fried cauliflower with a sweet and sour chili paste. It was very spicy and hot but it was good. I think I would have preferred slightly less spice to let some of the other flavor come forward. The second appetizer is a mystery. It reminded me of the crispy deep fried Chinese crackers I used to get as a child, but I feel that comparing Indian food to American Chinese food is an insult so I apologize. It had a very light flavor and was topped with chickpeas and yogurt. The lightness was a perfect accompaniment to the Gobi Manchurian that a slightly heavier taste. It was a great pallet cleanser to start the main course on the right foot, or should I say taste bud. Oh and Amstel light is delicious! It helped to cut the spicy.
For dessert, I decided to continue my mango craving with mango kulfi. Kulfi is Indian ice cream. I personally thought it was like gelato but it was still delicious. It had a very distinct mango flavor and they used the pulp to make a sauce that was scattered sparingly around the dish.
So, be it said, that I enjoyed Tantric very much. The atmosphere was definitely met the hip vibe the designers were going for, the bathrooms were clean, the wait staff was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable.
My friends also seemed to enjoy the restaurant and the food very much. They are true connoisseurs so I shall trust their judgment. As a side note, and perhaps a future blog, Indian food as Americans know it is actually North Indian food. India is just as diverse as the regions of the states, probably even more so when it comes to their food. My friend is not northern Indian and has promised to share the recipes of “his people.” I look forward to such recipes and shall share the results. I shall also share about his culture and the differences and the reasons behind the differences.
Traveling the world through food is just so much fun!
Posted on February 12, 2010
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