Mint Condition: Outstanding Indian Food in Chapel Hill

In New York I was introduced to Indian food while working at the wonderful restaurant Tabla. When visiting the famed “curry row” in mid-town Manhattan or in Queens at the epicenter of all things Indian in Jackson Heights I had no trouble falling for this enchanting cuisine. My uncle Wes in Chapel Hill, North Carolina sent us to his favorite Indian restaurant called Mint and I was on my way to get some delicious lunch.

Mint runs a buffet during lunch hours that offers a wide variety of classic, well-known Indian dishes. The offerings turned out to be more then could have been expected. The steam table was full of colorful dishes of curries and tenderly cooked vegetables and meats. I was in heaven.

Working at Tabla restaurant in New York filled me with a love for beautifully balanced Indian food. Floyd Cardoz, chef at Tabla, is a extraordinary chef who offers a wide selection of food, making the unfamiliar into familiar. By using his classic training in French cooking and his deep knowledge of traditional Indian spices, he creates amazing foods. I received  outstanding training while working at Tabla with him. The smell of toasting spices always brings fond memories back to me from my time in the kitchen and makes my mouth water in anticipation for a  taste of the spices themselves.

I loaded my plate with my favorites: chicken tikka makhani, buttery nan bread, spinach cooked down to almost a puree, curried vegetables, and some salad topped with a cool chickpea and cilantro dressing.

The chicken tikka makhani is some of the best I have had! Tender pieces of chicken are cooked in the hot heat of the tandoor oven. The chicken is then coated with a rich, buttery tomato-based sauce. The strong flavor of the chicken and decadence of the sauce was amazing!

Another dish, tandoori chicken, offers meat that barely held on to the bone and is spiced with cayenne pepper, red chili or a kashmiri red chili, and turmeric. These spices give the chicken its telltale red color. The flavor is a mild heat felt throughout the meat which is juicy with a strong, pure chicken flavor.

Brian had a taste of the goat curry! Browned small pieces of goat were slowly cooked in the velvety meat gravy with garam masala spices. The luscious gravy was gelatinous from the pieces of bone floating in the sauce along with the meat. Some of the bones were filled with tasty, warm, melty bone marrow that Brian happily sucked out.

A golden triangle of fried dough called a samosa was filled with a spiced Indian style potatoes and peas. The tender smooth filling held in crispy lightly spiced thin dough was a hot and spicy treat.

I also loved the sabji palka which was vegetables cooked down with spinach. This vegetarian dish is one of my favorites–the spiced spinach was tossed with corn, carrots, and other veggies cooked down past the point of recognition! The gentle flavor of the dish is nicely balanced.

We enjoyed every bite on the plate using pinches of freshly baked naan to pick up our food.  It took a lot of willpower for me not to return to Mint over the next few days we were in town. I knew though that there was a lot of food out there to try. I guess I will just have to make a trip back to Chapel Hill soon so I can get another taste of the fair being offered at Mint!

Note: Unfortunately Tabla restaurant in New York City will be closing its doors on December 30 2010. If you have not eaten at Tabla and find yourself in the area try it before it’s gone.