Kadhai, a New Brand for the Old Haandi on Norfolk Avenue in Downtown Bethesda

[mtureck]

Haandi in Bethesda is now Kadhai.

Interesting...this is from Robert Dyer on his excellent Bethesda blog.

http://robertdyer.blogspot.com/2013/05/haandi-changes-name-to-kadhai-in.html

The gist is, Haandi in Bethesda changed its name...don't know if it's with the same owner/management or not. If you look at Haandi's web site is says the Bethesda location is permanently closed. The other location seems unaffected.

There are a bunch of new menu items as well.

[DonRocks]

For perhaps the first time in website history, one single post has forced me to update three different dining guides (think about it).

My guess is that it was a friendly sale, but it's only a guess.

[mtureck]

I called to check if an old Haandi gift certificate I had sitting around is still valid, and I was told that it's just a name change...no new owner.

So my certificate is safe, if I can believe the random guy on the phone.

[DonRocks]

I called to check if an old Haandi gift certificate I had sitting around is still valid, and I was told that it's just a name change...no new owner.

So my certificate is safe, if I can believe the random guy on the phone.

Hmm, the permutations of when, and when not, to create separate threads are subtle, ever-changing, and endless.

Oddly, if Haandi in Falls Church didn't exist, this wouldn't have a new thread. But since it does exist, Kadhai gets its own from this point forward (but not back from when it was Haandi, and it also doesn't get a NOW OPEN!). I swear we had almost this exact same situation within the past few months, but I don't remember which restaurant it was. I also swear these rules are rigid and mathematical, but any attempt to spell them out exactly would threaten the border of NP-completeness in terms of solvability. I mean, I know what they are, I just can't explain it.

[rockcreek]

I popped my head in yesterday and spoke to the owner, who very kindly offered, "same staff, same dishes, same ... me." He openly stated there was a disagreement with the person who owns the rights to the name "Haandi" and they simply parted ways.

Didn't get a chance to eat but the dining room was nicely filled, and the new space looks bright and airy (the main room is aligned with the street, and there are lots of windows.) Can't wait to go.

[porcupine]

^say hi next time. ;-)

[porcupine]

Popped in for a solo lunch on a whim recently. Nice selection of dishes on the buffet. A rather simple chickpea salad, pakoras, bhindi masala (tasty enough, lots of onion, though), yellow dal (a little bland, but it often is), a mixed vegetable dish, lamb korma (best thing there, nicely balanced sauce and large pieces of well-trimmed meat), chicken makhani (decent tomato sauce, not very complex, large pieces of white meat chicken were overcooked), saag paneer (a dish I love when the saag isn't overcooked; this one was, a little), a few grilled tandoor items that I didn't try, a decent rendition of rice kheer, a very rich gajar halwa. Nice looking tidy space, professional service. I would choose this over Saveur India in a heartbeat [Don, in italics, really?], but with Passage to India around the corner, I don't see the point. I don't mean to be damning. Kadhai was really very good. It's just that P to I sets the bar really, really high.

website

[porcupine]

I'd been feeling a little bad about the previous post, so when a friend suggested getting together for some Indian food I steered him to Kadhai.  The samosas were a little subpar, with a uniform filling that was a bit one-dimensional in flavor (I like it when the filling has textural contrasts), but the lamb shahi korma was fantastic, with a silky smooth sauce and a haunting nutty flavor.  Matar paneer was a little sweet for my taste, but the peas were bright (they're often overcooked in this dish) and in good proportion to the paneer.  Methi paratha was a nice change of pace from naan.  The rasmalai was not perfectly fresh but still very good (it's a pain in the ass to make, harder to make well, and finding a good rendition is damn near impossible).

[Pool Boy]

Kadhai's decent solid lunchtime buffet Indian - not spectacular but it fills the need. Glad to see they stuck around in some form after their old building was slated for redevelopment. 

Question - does Passage to India do buffet at lunch or is it ordered off the menu only? I have coworkers who think lunchtime Indian should ONLY be buffet, hence the ask.

[DonRocks]

Question - does Passage to India do buffet at lunch or is it ordered off the menu only? I have coworkers who think lunchtime Indian should ONLY be buffet, hence the ask.

I realize this is a bit late, but does this "buffet only" apply just in Bethesda, or to the entire world?

If the latter, that seems a bit harsh. I can picture someone dining at Bhatti Village in Goa. "I'd like the Red Snapper in Bitter Garlic Sauce, please."

"I'm so sorry, sir - we only offer that in the evenings; at lunchtime we have a nice Fish Curry - there's some sitting over there on the buffet table right now."

I can also picture a couple businessmen in Delhi. One of them says to the other, "How about some American today?" The other says, "Sure!"

And then they walk into McDonald's.

[Pool Boy]

I know - my office mates are not very adventurous, especially once they have found a place they like. I keep trying though.

[Pool Boy]

I was here this past summer to meet former office pals, and, while still tasty, it was an annoying experience. Basically, the place is overrun with people because 'hey it's Indian buffet!' that they cannot get enough of. It is mobbed by workers and nearby rich soccer-moms alike. It's so annoying I'd likely not return, at least not during the workweek lunch time slot.

[DonRocks]

23 hours ago, Pool Boy said:

I was here this past summer to meet former office pals, and, while still tasty, it was an annoying experience. Basically, the place is overrun with people because 'hey it's Indian buffet!' that they cannot get enough of. It is mobbed by workers and nearby rich soccer-moms alike. It's so annoying I'd likely not return, at least not during the workweek lunch time slot.

But isn't this a good thing? I mean, not necessarily for you, but for the restaurant? A healthy lunch buffet might mean better dinner service, since it acts as a subsidy.

Since so many Indian dishes are slow-cooked, they tend to hold up well in steam tables - you should go to Woodlands in Langley Park for their weekend buffet: It is de-licious, and it's even vegetarian and possibly close to vegan (don't let this keep you away - it's fantastic).

[Pool Boy]

5 hours ago, DonRocks said:

But isn't this a good thing? I mean, not necessarily for you, but for the restaurant? A healthy lunch buffet might mean better dinner service, since it acts as a subsidy.

Since so many Indian dishes are slow-cooked, they tend to hold up well in steam tables - you should go to Woodlands in Langley Park for their weekend buffet: It is de-licious, and it's even vegetarian and possibly close to vegan (don't let this keep you away - it's fantastic).

Good for them for being so busy. Not my thing - I would prefer to go when they are less crazy busy.

[mtureck]

I'm there at least once a month, but only on weekends.

Best Indian buffet I've had in the area.

I like that it leans towards the meat-centric, although they always have some good veggie dishes as well.

[mtureck]

Kadhai refuses to do curbside pickup.  
Mind-boggling in this day and age.