Restaurant Review: Shalimar on Polk Street

[dank]

I ate at the Shalimar Indian-Pakistani restaurant on Polk Street
in San Francisco last night. Along with rice and naan I had:

Bhuna Gosht $6.95
"Relished by Punjabi stalwart soldiers. Grass fed lamb,
cooked with butter with a hint of garlic and ginger
over a bed of onions. It is brought to simmer in
Pakistani wild spices."

It was absolutely delicious! Lamb curry is always my favorite
Indian dish and this was the best one I've tried so far. The
curry was perfectly seasoned and not too spicy or greasy, and
the lamb was tender and flavorful. The whole meal cost me an
even $10 before tip.

Also, having tried both Indian and Pakistani-Indian, I have to
say the latter cuisine seems superior. Maybe its the Punjabi
stuff I like that just happens to be popular in Pakistan, or
maybe Pakistani food is better?

[James Silverton]

dank wrote on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:38:38 -0700:

d> Bhuna Gosht $6.95
d> "Relished by Punjabi stalwart soldiers. Grass fed lamb,
d> cooked with butter with a hint of garlic and ginger
d> over a bed of onions. It is brought to simmer in
d> Pakistani wild spices."

d> It was absolutely delicious! Lamb curry is always my
d> favorite Indian dish and this was the best one I've tried so
d> far. The curry was perfectly seasoned and not too spicy or
d> greasy, and the lamb was tender and flavorful. The whole
d> meal cost me an even $10 before tip.

I like Punjabi food too! In passing, the Punjabi soldiers were
probably Sikhs who ruled the Punjab independently for nearly a
century.The Sikhs do have an admirable military reputation.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

[Al Eisner]

Post by dank
I ate at the Shalimar Indian-Pakistani restaurant on Polk Street
in San Francisco last night.

[etc.]

The Chron (i.e., sfgate.www.com) lists a Shalimar on Jones St. Is the
above a different place?

[Guy Bannis]

In article

Post by Al Eisner

Post by dank
I ate at the Shalimar Indian-Pakistani restaurant on Polk Street
in San Francisco last night.

[etc.]
The Chron (i.e., sfgate.www.com) lists a Shalimar on Jones St. Is the
above a different place?

There are two Shalimars in the City and they're related. I believe
there's also on in Berkeley but the East Bay folks can speak to that.

The one on Jones St is in a very divey area and the restaurant gets
dirty very quickly as a result.

We think the food is terrific in both places, as are the prices, with
the edge going to the Jones St Shalimar.

As for Indian-Pakistani "cuisine," I'm convinced it's a regional
distinction without a difference. :)

[George Grapman]

Post by Guy Bannis
In article

Post by Al Eisner

Post by dank
I ate at the Shalimar Indian-Pakistani restaurant on Polk Street
in San Francisco last night.

[etc.]
The Chron (i.e., sfgate.www.com) lists a Shalimar on Jones St. Is the
above a different place?

There are two Shalimars in the City and they're related. I believe
there's also on in Berkeley but the East Bay folks can speak to that.
The one on Jones St is in a very divey area and the restaurant gets
dirty very quickly as a result.
We think the food is terrific in both places, as are the prices, with
the edge going to the Jones St Shalimar.
As for Indian-Pakistani "cuisine," I'm convinced it's a regional
distinction without a difference. :)

I read a story a few years ago that many owner from Bangladesh call
their restaurants Indian because of the negative connotations.

[Joe Petolino]

Post by Guy Bannis

Post by Al Eisner

Post by dank
I ate at the Shalimar Indian-Pakistani restaurant on Polk Street
in San Francisco last night.

[etc.]
The Chron (i.e., sfgate.www.com) lists a Shalimar on Jones St. Is the
above a different place?

There are two Shalimars in the City and they're related. I believe
there's also on in Berkeley but the East Bay folks can speak to that.

There's one in Fremont, close to the BART station, and one in Sunnyvale
on El Camino near Bernardo. I've also been to the Jones St. branch,
but not the one on Polk. Of those three, I prefer the Fremont branch,
but they're all good. Just don't go expecting a "fine dining" experience.
It's counter service, no alcohol is served, and the decor seems to be
whatever the last occupants of the building put up. But you won't find
tastier tandoori meats or naan anywhere. The curries are very good, too,
despite (or maybe because of) being a little on the oily side. Get the
chicken tikka (a quarter chicken cooked in the tandoor), the goat
curry if they have it that day, spinach with paneer, or the chicken
meatball curry. And naan, of course.

Now I'm hungry, and I just had dinner.

-Joe

[George Grapman]

Post by Al Eisner

Post by dank
I ate at the Shalimar Indian-Pakistani restaurant on Polk Street
in San Francisco last night.

[etc.]
The Chron (i.e., sfgate.www.com) lists a Shalimar on Jones St. Is the
above a different place?

Same owners. The one on Jones has been called an Indian version of the
soup Nazi but that is an exaggeration.
When i worked downtown I went there regularly. Loved the Chicken
Saag. You walk in place an order at the counter,help yourself to soft
drinks and 5-10 minutes later the food arrive. You return to the counter
to pay.
I would call the service brusque not rude.

[Guy Bannis]

Post by George Grapman
I would call the service brusque not rude.

I think concepts of service do not apply at a place such as Shalimar ...

[r***@justgive.org]

Post by Guy Bannis

  I would call the service brusque not rude.

I think concepts of service do not apply at a place such as Shalimar ...

Totally untrue. The Shalimar on Jones remembers who you are after you
order and brings your food to the table, and if you accidentally walk
out without paying nobody chases you.

[Guy Bannis]

In article

Post by r***@justgive.org

Post by Guy Bannis

  I would call the service brusque not rude.

I think concepts of service do not apply at a place such as Shalimar ...

Totally untrue. The Shalimar on Jones remembers who you are after you
order and brings your food to the table, and if you accidentally walk
out without paying nobody chases you.

LOL! Plus they have a remarkable memory for what was ordered. The guy
who takes my order at the desk never writes anything down. Then when I
go to the desk to pay, someone else writes it all down from memory.

[Mark Lipton]

Post by dank
Also, having tried both Indian and Pakistani-Indian, I have to
say the latter cuisine seems superior. Maybe its the Punjabi
stuff I like that just happens to be popular in Pakistan, or
maybe Pakistani food is better?

Better/worse has no bearing in this. You might just prefer the spicing
of Moghul cooking as it's interpreted by Pakistanis. There's no such
thing as "Indian" cooking, but rather several distinct regional
cuisines: S. Indian, featuring dosas, sambar, idli, ginger, curry
leaves, rice; Goanese, featuring coconut, intense heat, fish, pork;
Moghul, featuring lamb, saffron, baked breads, yoghurt; and Bengali,
featuring coconut milk, mustard oil, freshwater fish and rice.

It'll also depend on how well the food is prepared. Although I have a
preference for the cooking of S. India, I'll take a well-prepared Moghul
meal over a poorly prepared S. Indian one.

Mark Lipton