Dhabha Taste of India Restaurant

February 10, 2014Katie

Sunday Mr. Wonderful and I ventured out to try a new place.

Last week he was frightfully sick and I drove him to his doctors office, you know to make sure he would go and all?

As usual, the conversation led to food. Did you know a lot of doctors are closet foodies?

They totally are! I think they just don’t make it public knowledge because they have to make us think about eating healthy and all….

Anyway, the subject somehow turned to Indian food. He asked me where my favorite Indian restaurant was.

This is a tough question for me because I like certain dishes at different Indian restaurants. I started to tell him that I like Ajanta, primarily for their tikka masala, while I prefer Heritage India for their unbeatable garlic naan.

All the while he had a big smile on his face and was shaking his head as if to say “No, you’re wrong, SO WRONG!”

So of course I bit at the bait, like a good little fish, and asked him where he likes to go. His answer was…

Dhabha.

Huh?

The name Dhabha literally means a Punjabi (the area between Pakistan and northern India) roadside cafe found on a highway and….guess what!?

Dhabha occupies one side of an actual truck stop at the 122nd exit of I-35.

Seriously, just like a Subway or something.

Only Jared isn’t there, and it’s a little creepy.

Look for the big sign with the 5 on it between the Days Inn and the Holiday Inn Express.

Now, I realize that sign looks mighty scary. And you would be totally correct in assuming that the rest of the place is going to look a little freaky as well. This is definitely not a place for the faint of heart, but only for those seeking out really good food. From what I understand, most people get the food as takeout. But if you are brave like us, head on in and check out the shady interior as well

Just make sure and park your hubby in the creepy hallway to the bathroom to make sure you’re not a human trafficking victim and eat some amazing Butter Chicken while you’re at it.

You might think I’m kidding about that last part, but I wasn’t the only wife who did that while we were there.

Seriously.

And when you walk in the restaurant door, hey! There’s the gas station/truckstop area staring you in the face.

You’ll have to walk up,to,the counter to view the menu, and one of the two people working there will take your order. Pray that it’s the lady, because I’ve heard the man is comparable to the soup Nazi from Seinfield.

As in, do NOT mess with trying to be fussy about your order man, or NO TIKKA MASALA FOR YOU!

So, onto the food!

We ordered, what in most Indian restaurants would be pretty similar dishes, but were very different at Dhabha.

Mr. Wonderful ordered the Tikka Masala.

This was different from any tikka masala I’ve ever had. The sauce was very tomato/acidic and contained no creamy base like cream or yogurt. It was also laden with large chunks of green peppers and onions.

If you’re used to the rich and creamy version of tikka masala, you probably won’t like this, but if you’re trying to eat healthier, it might be a great option.

Unless you hate green peppers like I do. I think they are the only vegetable in the world I truly despise. Give me red or orange, but keep the green ones away from me. Blech!

Now if you DO like the rich and creamy version of tikka masala, you will love what I ordered. Butter Chicken (tikka makhani).

This dish differs slightly from tikka masala and it’s been my experience that butter chicken usually has bone-in dark meat and a similar sauce that has ghee or butter cooked into the sauce, making it a bit glossier in look or feel.

Again at Dhabha, this differs in that the chicken is all boneless white meat and the sauce is absolutely delicious. I would get this again….and again. Thank goodness this place is far, far away, as “butter chicken” just can’t be good on the calorie counter!

The dishes came out in dog style dishes (Mr. W. Put that thought in my head), and as usual, comes accompanied by the long grain basmati rice.

We did order some garlic naan and it wasn’t my favorite.