Desi Spice

The Scene
Located on the top floor of a non-descript shopping plaza next to a poolroom, Desi's bright fabric umbrellas provide a much-needed shot of color on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. Inside, the room is decorated in typical low-cost ethnic fashion, with mismatched tables and chairs, art and fabrics. The husband and wife owners sometimes double as waitstaff and service can be somewhat lacksidaisical.

The Food
The menu hopscotches over India's regions so it lacks focus. The chicken sheek kabab is unexpected in a good way: tender ground chicken fingers flavored with spices and served with a mellow mint dipping sauce. Many of the dishes had an odd sweet/spicy tang that was sometimes discordant (aggressively red shrimp tikka masala), sometimes less troublesome (the bhuna shrimp puri with it's Jiffy-pop like puffy bread cover). Best were the vegetables, like the aloo gobi, spiced just right cauliflower and potatoes and the perfect naan bread.