dr.com Indian Regional HOT Foods Event

[Sudhir Seth]

Couple of years ago when I was at the Heritage I had catered to a group of 50 CHILI HEADS and in a five course menu had the spice level going up steadily. I can handle pretty hot stuff myself and was surprised by what these guys could handle even at the fourth course level. The least appreciated fifth course was the dessert. wish I had saved that menu and run a special on it sometime.

Any takers in our DR group venturesome to try the Regional Hot foods of India? We could do something at Passage to India.

In my opinion the best way to kill the spice on your palate is a shot of Espresso. It has never failed me to this date.

[Mrs. B]

Any takers in our DR group venturesome to try the Regional Hot foods of India? We could do something at Passage to India.

In my opinion the best way to kill the spice on your palate is a shot of Espresso. It has never failed me to this date.

I am totally in.

And thanks for the Espresso tip (but I think that just means I will be up all night remembering Al's toilet paper image )

[DonRocks]

[i'm guessing there may be enough interest in this to make it a community-wide event, with reserved spots, prepayment with PayPal, etc. Please post here if you're interested, and if enough people want to, I'll work out the details with Sudhir. Remember, ALL members here are welcome at every event (even ones that haven't signed on in a few months, hint hint). Cheers, Rocks.]

[zoramargolis]

Sounds cool. Or hot. Or is it SWEET? In any case, I'm up for it.

[cucas87]

Scott Johnston and I are in.

[smokey]

Depending on availability, me and +1 would be interested.

[JeffC]

Sudhir, Geri and I are in! (I'll be out of town from 10/17-10/30, so here's hoping that the event is not scheduled during that time frame.)

[JPW]

I'd definitely be interested. Don't know about Nutty Buddy or Peanut.

[Sudhir Seth]

WOW

Lot of hot folks around this forum. Well some interesting facts about Chilis on the link below

http://www.g6csy.net/chile/index.html

[rkduggins]

I'm interested, too. My plus one may not be available, depending on time of week.

[porcupine]

Mr P and I are in, if we're available on the date you choose.

[treznor]

Depending on whether or not I'm in town, I'd be in.

[LoganCircle]

I'm interested.

[purplesachi]

politburo and i would be interested, of course, depending on if we are still in town (we're moving to philly at the end of october!)

[DanielK]

Just to pile on and make the thread longer, I'm interested.

[brettashley01]

Interested- and Sudhir I will PM you re: food allergies

[eating out]

I am sooo in as well Thank you!

[edenman]

Bring it.

[Jonathan]

i am very interested in ny spicy food event...please keep me posted.

[rvanrens]

Let's get it on - me +1

[synaesthesia]

I'm in. Are we going to have a contest over who breaks the least sweat? Not that I'd win..

[Ilaine]

I am not a hot head but the +1 is, and I am a good sport, so yes, please.

[Sudhir Seth]

[i'm guessing there may be enough interest in this to make it a community-wide event, with reserved spots, prepayment with PayPal, etc. Please post here if you're interested, and if enough people want to, I'll work out the details with Sudhir. Remember, ALL members here are welcome at every event (even ones that haven't signed on in a few months, hint hint). Cheers, Rocks.]

Hi Don

This has really piqued the interest a lot more than I had expected. Well to get the ball rolling first thing we have to decide on a day/date. I am working on an exotic hot menu and will post it soon. In the meantime I am proposing three dates in September 23, 30 (both Sundays) and Tuesday the 25th. Let us see what the feedback is and we can take it from there. The four course menu would be structured as follows from different regions of India. Price and menu yet to be finalized

Four apps

3 seafood dishes

3 meat and chicken dishes

1 spicy dessert

the first three courses will have their own dowsers for the fainthearted like breads, rice, vegetables, lentil, yogurt etc.

[brettashley01]

Damn, can't make any of those dates!

[catharine]

Me, me, me...I wanna go. What a great idea!

I prefer the Sunday dates.

[JeffC]

The 23rd and 25th work for Geri and me. She's out of town on the 30th, but if that's the date that works for most, I can still come.

[DanielK]

Normally I'm free Sunday nights, but not those two. I could do Tue 9/25.

[StephenB]

Four apps

3 seafood dishes

3 meat and chicken dishes

1 spicy dessert

the first three courses will have their own dowsers for the fainthearted like breads, rice, vegetables, lentil, yogurt etc.

Sounds good. I would like to attend, pending date availability.

[treznor]

I'm out of town during the weekends (okay techincally I'm only in town during the week since I don't actually live in DC anymore and just travel here for work :-) ) so the 25th is the only night I could make.

[baczkowski]

Hi Don

This has really piqued the interest a lot more than I had expected. Well to get the ball rolling first thing we have to decide on a day/date. I am working on an exotic hot menu and will post it soon. In the meantime I am proposing three dates in September 23, 30 (both Sundays) and Tuesday the 25th. Let us see what the feedback is and we can take it from there. The four course menu would be structured as follows from different regions of India. Price and menu yet to be finalized

Four apps

3 seafood dishes

3 meat and chicken dishes

1 spicy dessert

the first three courses will have their own dowsers for the fainthearted like breads, rice, vegetables, lentil, yogurt etc.

Wife and I are interested. Tuesday works best but the Sundays so far don't contain a conflict. Two non-DR members are also "intrigued." Would they have to join to participate?

Pax,

Brian

[mktye]

Two non-DR members are also "intrigued." Would they have to join to participate?

I had this same question last year regarding a very popular $20 Tuesday dinner. The answer I was given: If there is room, they might be able to attend, but they cannot be guaranteed spots since DR.com members have precedence. I ended up just getting my friend to join DR.com.

Direct link to registration is here and an overview of the registration/validation process is here. HTH!

[rkduggins]

Sept 23 & 30 work best for me + 1

[DonRocks]

Click.

I'll maintain the attendee list here. Please PM me ASAP with an RSVP - you can bring up to two guests, perhaps three.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Please title your PM "SPICE NIGHT" - I sometimes get dozens of PMs each day and I don't want these to get lost.

Attendees:

gnatharobed

JeffC + 1

DanielK

goldenticket

xcanuck + 1

rkduggins + 1

StephenB

eating_out

dmoon01 + 1

JPW

catherine + 1

DiningInFrederick + 1

Scott Johnston

cucas87

[enodelillo]

Couple of years ago when I was at the Heritage I had catered to a group of 50 CHILI HEADS and in a five course menu had the spice level going up steadily. I can handle pretty hot stuff myself and was surprised by what these guys could handle even at the fourth course level. The least appreciated fifth course was the dessert. wish I had saved that menu and run a special on it sometime.

Any takers in our DR group venturesome to try the Regional Hot foods of India? We could do something at Passage to India.

In my opinion the best way to kill the spice on your palate is a shot of Espresso. It has never failed me to this date.

I'm game. When would this take place?

[Sudhir Seth]

I'm game. When would this take place?

October 7th at 6.30pm.

[DonRocks]

We're up to 20 (see above), but really need a few more. Visitors? You can join and sign up the very next day. We're waiting!

[StephenB]

Wait a sec! Oct 7? Isn't that the same day as the dim sum lunch at North China? It sounds like a good day, except what are we doing for breakfast?

[DonRocks]

Wait a sec! Oct 7? Isn't that the same day as the dim sum lunch at North China? It sounds like a good day, except what are we doing for breakfast?

And now you know why we really DO need an events coordinator!

[monavano]

Wait a sec! Oct 7? Isn't that the same day as the dim sum lunch at North China? It sounds like a good day, except what are we doing for breakfast?

Oh boy, I missed that one. Found it here. Let me know the time and I'll add it in to the Calendar post.

[DanielK]

Wait a sec! Oct 7? Isn't that the same day as the dim sum lunch at North China? It sounds like a good day, except what are we doing for breakfast?

StephenB, my friend, I will see you at lunch AND dinner that day, though I am afraid that my breakfast will be bagels at Sunday School with the kids. Good luck in finding a partner for a DR.com trifecta...

Oh boy, I missed that one. Found it here. Let me know the time and I'll add it in to the Calendar post.

The dim sum event is at 12:30.

[Sudhir Seth]

Ladies and Gentlemen

Would request all those on the fence to please decide and post your attendance on this thread. It will help me immensely and I can be better prepared since almost everything on the Spice menu is to be made from start and is not a spin-off from the regular menu.

Thanks and see you on 10/07.

[DonRocks]

Okay, we're not doing PayPal. Everyone on the list (and anyone else who wants to sign up), please call Passage to India with a credit card to hold your spot. $65 will be charged for no-shows which will still cause the restaurant financial harm due to lack of beverage sales and tips. If you can fill your spot, then it will be up to you to collect from the substitute. This is much easier than PayPal. Final charges won't be run until the actual night for two reasons: 1) Price includes tax and tip, but not beverages, and 2) Sudhir pays a much lower percentage to the credit-card companies for swiping the cards, rather than manual transactions. So please get on the blower starting TOMORROW, and call Passage to India with your card for confirmation. Report into me when you've done this, and I'll keep track on the post that lists the attendees. This is by far the simplest process for all involved. Who knows, I may see you there myself, in some form or another. Cheers, Rocks. P.S. Thanks to all for attending, and thank you to Sudhir for setting this up. This promises to be a memorable event, of that I'm certain.

[Scott Johnston]

In case you need the info!

Passage to India

4931 Cordell Ave,

Bethesda, MD 20814, US

Tel : 301-656-3373

Fax : 301-656-2535

Email : info@passagetoindia.info

[DonRocks]

In case you need the info!

Passage to India

4931 Cordell Ave,

Bethesda, MD 20814, US

Tel : 301-656-3373

Fax : 301-656-2535

Email : info@passagetoindia.info

Thanks Scott, and everyone please send me a PM when you've called the restaurant to give them your credit card so I can check you off the list. Act with haste, please! Cheers, Rocks.

[Sudhir Seth]

Hi folks

As we approach the SPICE NITE on October 7th may I please request all those coming for dinner that evening to PM me ref any dietary restrictions so that I can make some adjustments and offer them an alternative or two. I might not be able to replicate the dish being substituted but I could replace with something substantial atleast.

Thanks

[StephenB]

My son has canceled his trip. But I'm on for Sunday night. (I told the restaurant that my son was doubtfu.)

[DonRocks]

Here's the current list. I'll have a little treat for you guys Sunday night as well...

Cheers,

Rocks.

gnatharobed

JeffC + 1

DanielK

goldenticket

xcanuck + 1

rkduggins + 1

StephenB

eating_out

dmoon01 + 1

JPW

catherine

DiningInFrederick + 1

Scott Johnston

cucas87

[Scott Johnston]

Wow, Tums for everyone!

er, Don, um, do we really need your "little treat"??????

Here's the current list. I'll have a little treat for you guys Sunday night as well...

Cheers,

Rocks.

[DonRocks]

Thanks to everyone for contacting the restaurant - you guys have made this EASY for me! All systems are go.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[xcanuck]

Wow...that was one heck of an impressive dinner. I wasn't sure if we were really going to get ALL 15 courses that were on the menu (I thought it was more realistic that we'd get a choice of one item for each course) but Sudhir Seth pulled out all the stops for us.

Trying to evaluate all 15 courses won't be practical but I'll try hit the highlights.

First Course - the chicken kali mirch kabab proved that sometimes simple is the best. The heat came mostly from an abundance of cracked peppercorns and, like all the chicken dishes served, the chicken was very moist and tender.

Second Course - My favorite course of the night and certainly the hottest course. So many greats here - the Aloo Chokha (baked potatoes with burnt chili and mustard oil) reminded me of home. The taste of spices fried whole in mustard oil and then combined with the creamy potatoes was sublime to me. The Shrimp Balchao, a very hot picked shrimp, was unusual, intense, delicious and did I mention VERY HOT? The Mussel Vendiam succeeded mostly because of the sweet and sour tamarind sauce. The tart tanginess of the sauce made for a great counterpoint to the heat.

Third Course - By this time, I was lapsing into a food coma and my poorly paced consumption of the first two courses made it difficult to eat much from here. Of all the dishes here, I would have thought the vindaloo would be my favorite but it turned out to be the Tamatar Launji - green tomatoes stewed with chilies and fennel. That absolutely MUST make the standard menu. The Green Chili Chicken was a close second and another dish that reminded me much of home (my mom would prepare fish with a sauce that tasted exactly like this one).

Dessert - yeah, we had actually had room for dessert. The Spicy Modak was a wonderful mixture of peppercorns and jaggery (unrefined data palm sugar), enveloped in a rice dumpling. There wasn't any real heat here, but the flavour of the peppercorns was definitely front and centre.

There were a few things that could have been improved. Please take these in the constructive manner that I intend them. First, the red meat dishes could have benefited from a longer, slower cooking. The meat was tough and chewy. Maybe a pressure cooker could have saved time while yielding a softer meat? Second, in the desert, I think I would have replaced the rice dumpling with chenna to get a softer texture and more flavour. The filling was awesome but I found myself leaving the dumpling behind.

One note on the heat level. The second course yielded the dishes with the highest heat quotient and I'm glad it was structured that way. I never found the heat in any dish to be overwhelming. I know some were expecting a super hot, sweat inducing vindaloo, for example, but I really think that these insanely hot dishes are a result of British culture and not something truly found in Indian home cooking. Indeed, with the exception of our relatives in Chennai (Madras), I've never eaten a dish in an Indian home that was even remotely as hot as what I get in North American restaurants. My parents wont eat in most Indian restaurants because they feel the heat overshadows the spice. I think our dinner did a great job highlighting the spices and not the heat.

I can't believe it took me so long to get to Passage to India. It's definitely a remarkable step above the standard Indian restaurants. I'm looking forward to seeing some of these dishes make the everyday menu so I can enjoy them on a regular basis. Thanks to Sudhir Seth for a great evening, and to Don for our "special treat"!