Tag Archives: Indian

Last Weekend’s Dining: Return to Passage To India, Return To Samurai

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This past weekend, my muscles felt like jelly.

After wondering what was wrong with me, I finally accepted that I was merely worn out.

We never really caught up or recuperated after our Easter trip to Minneapolis, which was followed by two intense weeks of work and last weekend’s fainting spell/car bump.

In the name of self care, I didn’t do a whole lot of anything except finish Mockingjay and weep Mockingjay-related tears. Last week, I had made the mistake of reading this book during my lunch break and did my best to hide my Mockingjay tears in the break room.  Jake and I are also proud to say we accomplished a significant amount of cleaning.

I tended to my surviving balcony plants, which have now begun to annoy me.  Having had no gardening supplies, let alone containers, my first balcony gardening adventure has panned out to be a money trap.  I’ve settled with two pea plants, two cherry tomato plants, herbs, and small amounts of rainbow chard and arugula.  Growing root vegetables in pots quickly became more difficult that I had expected and I decided that I just did not feel like putting the blood, sweat and tears into growing a few beets and carrots.  Especially when I estimated the cost of each said beet.  I’ll leave that to the people with yards.

Plus, I’ve got CSA boxes on the way.  Jake keeps asking why our CSA, Bluebird Gardens, keeps sending us emails and no vegetables.  I keep reminding him that it’s only April.  Needless to mention we’re both excited about our first CSA share.

On Friday evening while Jake was out, I ordered takeout from Passage To India, read Mockingjay, and sipped an adult beverage.  It was quiet, it was spicy, and it was fantastic.  I ordered my usual favorites, Bhindi Masala and Paneer Tikka Masala, extra spicy, please.  The owner was kind enough to provide small containers of raita and mint chutney at no cost.

Delicious per usual.  Although Passage’s Saturday buffet is truly spectacular, I’d rather pay more money and enjoy my food leisurely, over the span of many meals.

On Saturday, we went to Samurai for date night and ordered sushi.  My stomach was full of three, spicy, Indian curry meals in a row and so I didn’t get too adventurous.

We ordered miso soup for two and fried spring rolls.

The soup had a smooth texture, and amusing teeny, tiny cubes of tofu but tasted little bland.  Overall, it was comforting.

We ordered the vegetarian spring rolls, $4.50 on our first visit and enjoyed these fried treats again.  The spring rolls come with a sweet chili sauce and the portion size is just large enough for about two bites each, when split two ways.

I just ordered The Maki Roll Combo, the least expensive sushi dinner that included a tuna roll, California roll, and shrimp tempura roll, $15.95.  The tuna tasted fresh, the California roll was fine, and I liked the crunchy seafood in the Shrimp tempura roll.  The texture and temperature of the rice was pleasant.  My only criticisms are the seaweed seemed a little dry or chewy and I wasn’t in love with the addition of iceberg lettuce in the shrimp tempura roll.

Our server was kind enough to bring me a small dish of the spicy mayo.  Not a huge fan of the sweet sauces, but I love me some spicy mayo.

Jake ordered this giant, green monstrosity, filled with several types of fish and tempura asparagus (which I believe was the Volcano Roll, $15.95).  The exterior, green wrapper was soft to the bite.  Jake seemed to enjoy the roll and I found the one bite I took to taste fresh.

I’ve opened a new chapter in my life.  I’m searching for life after the Hunger Games Trilogy.  Game of Thrones is scheduled to arrive on Friday.  Just in time for another weekend in Fargo, before we return to the Twin Cities for an exciting family celebration/reunion of sorts.

My Grilled-Cheese Week: An Update

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Oh this week. . .

My busiest work week since we moved to Fargo, which also happens to precede a holiday weekend.  Unfortunately, these factors coincide with a low number of weekly posts.

Today, I drove for hours through the rural North Dakotan countryside in a company rental car vastly nicer than my own.  My first time driving a company car and second time driving a rental.  Somehow and somewhere, I blinked and became a big girl.

At the mercy of the FM radio, I flipped through a dial that went something like country music, Christian music, country, country, Christian, Country, Christian, Christian, OMG Katy Perry!, back to country, Christian. . .

I also passed by Wilkin Drink & Eatery in beautiful Breckenridge, MN.  A coworker recommended this 100-year old establishment and we plan to embark on a field trip in the near future.

As I visit small towns and meet people who grew up in them, I giggle as I remember how I used to whine about how boring life was in a 45,000+ suburb.  It also dawned on me that I have never set foot on a real farm.  Only fake farms.  Like Murphy’s Landing and the Dakota County Historical Society on grade-school field trips.

What do I eat during exhausting work weeks?  My tired foods include the following:

  • Cheese, black bean, onion and vegetable quesadillas.  I add whatever vegetables I have on hand and an fond of the addition of hot, pickled cherry peppers.
  • Crusty, Gluten-free grilled cheese sandwiches made with American cheese and Campbell’s tomato soup.  My favorite comfort foods at their finest.
  • Eggs, over-easy.
  • Leftovers from Sunday evening.  I re-purposed our leftover sticky rice, short ribs and vegetables.
  • Whatever is in the freezer.  Kimchee pot stickers or samosas, anyone?
  • Fresh fruit.  We have a grapefruit obsession, but also treat ourselves to organic kiwis and mango.

My love for Fargo’s Passage To India is no secret.  And it’s still our running favorite restaurant in the Fargo-Moorhead area.  Last weekend, we visited their often-mentioned Saturday buffet for the first time and it was every bit as good as the rumors.  Passage’s selection was larger than the Indian buffets I’ve visited, the food was steaming hot and constantly refilled, and it was flavorful and spicy.  Not toned down and bland, but actually spicy.  I was in heaven, despite the fact that buffets and “all you can eats” never work out well for me.  One plate and I’m full.  Two plates and I feel sick.  Oh well.

Last weekend, we also joined a coworker for drinks and dinner on Monte’s cozy, back patio.  I enjoyed my first taste of a crisp, icy-cold gin martini (or any martini, for that matter), though I also learned that martinis don’t work out that well for me, either.  Two sips and it’s time to inhale the nearest bread basket.  The entrees seemed incredibly pricey for what was actually delivered, but I was thrilled with my $9 Greek Flat Bread.  A generous appetizer topped with shrimp, plenty of creamy feta, briny olives, cherry tomatoes, and onion.

And as a comment about restaurant menus, in general, can we please, please, please stop calling food items “oriental?”  It’s Asian, ya’ll, Asian.

On Friday, we will leave for the Twin Cities directly from work to spend a long holiday weekend with our family and friends.  Per usual, we look forward to letting our parents spoil us rotten with home-cooked foods and visit at least one of our old haunts.

I’ll post again, as soon as I can and, until next time, I wish you all well.

Love,

Jen

Passage to India: Valentine’s Day Take-Out Feast

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Since both of our weeks had become rather unwieldy, Jake and I observed Valentine’s Day with takeout from Passage To India.  The only Indian restaurant located in the Fargo-Moorhead and beyond-community.

We had really enjoyed our first visit and looked forward to returning ever since.

We ordered two orders of garlic naan, $4 each, boti kabab, $14, bhindi masala, vegetable korma, $10, paneer tikka masala, $10, and a side of raita (which costed extra, though I can’t find the price).

As we waited, we were hypnotized by Bollywood videos and explored the nook of Indian groceries.  I contentedly sipped on a mango juice box gifted to me by the staff until our order was ready.

We eagerly unwrapped our Indian feast at home.

The garlic naan was delicious like our first visit.  I liked the naan’s delicate texture and moist richness provided by the garlic-flecked butter.  Our only disappointment was the portion size that we felt was small.  We had ordered two orders of naan and received four, half pieces of naan for a total of $8.

Garlic Naan Side Note
This weekend, Jake and I raced around Fargo looking for frozen garlic naan which I usually buy at the Asian & American market.  On this Saturday, the market was especially busy, so we decided to walk away from the lines at the check-out counters which we estimated to be an hour-long.  Pressing our luck, we stopped by a couple of other stores with no luck in finding garlic naan.  Only in Fargo, is it easier to find Hopslam five days after its release date than garlic naan.

This order of boti kabab was made with chunks of lamb garnished with thinly sliced onion, lemon, and shredded cabbage.

The lamb was tender and some pieces revealed subtle, plush, pinkness.  We really dug the intense seasoning on the meat that pushed the palate towards the too salty point, but stopped just shy enough to taste addicting.  Again, a small portion for $14, but the lamb was excellent.

Passage’s bhindi masala was just as good as our first visit, if not better.  Although we ordered everything spicy, this okra dish was the spiciest dish.  If you have never tried okra, you may also love it’s slight sweetness and wonder why it isn’t more popular.

Jake chose paneer tikka masala, a dish we have never ordered together and one I have only tried once.

The red sauce was decadently rich and initially struck me as sweet and tomatoey, but the curry spicing was fragrant and compelling.   I wish the sauce was spicier, but found myself returning to this dish to finish every drop, long after we had fished out the chunks of paneer.

Passage’s vegetable korma was different than the version I used to order at Surabhi’s, Bloomington, MN.  The korma was much thicker, and its color was light green.  I enjoyed the korma was packed with a lot of tender vegetables and was perfectly salted/spiced, but wished for more heat.

I may have detected coconut in the sauce, which isn’t my favorite flavor, though it’s just a personal preference.  Maybe it will grow on me, as I have aquired many tastes in my quarter-lifetime.  However, I do like coconut milk.

Passage to India also provided three containers of basmati rice of higher quality than the typical take-out rice.  Fluffy and nicely salted with a little bit of richness.

Overall, I really enjoyed our second Passage To India take-out adventure and, thus far, still consider Passage to India my favorite restaurant in Fargo-Moorhead.  I love eating leftovers and this food tasted better and better each day.  On both visits, the lamb has been well seasoned and tender, sparkling as a highlight on each visit.

One of these weekends, I will make it to the weekend buffet.

Fargo’s Passage To India: Can I Go Back Yet?

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Remember how I once stated that if you wanted to eat pho in Fargo, there is only one place to go?

The same goes for Indian food.  There is only one place to go.  Forunately, it is fabulous.

Passage To India
855 45th Street
Fargo, ND 58103
701-281-0277

Jake and I theorize we inherited the stomachs of our ancestors.  I can eat as much spicy, fragrant food from any country or region of Asia, India, or Africa with no ill effects.  In fact, I may feel better.  But if you treat me to a three course meal from Meritage, or rich, Minnesotan holiday meal, my stomach will probably ache.  The reverse applies to Jake.

I first tasted Indian food in high school.  My friend and I tried Taste of India’s lunch buffet so we could write about it in our school paper, The Talon.

I remember enjoying the new flavors and unforgettable hospitality of the owners who treated us to several varieties of lassi.  This past spring, I returned from Mexico with a mysterious stomach ailment. Oddly enough, I was discovered my stomach felt infinately better after I dined at Surabhi’s spicy, South Indian lunch buffet in Bloomington, MN.  I begged Jake to return that weekend and have been addicted ever since.  If I had my way, I’d eat spicy Indian food every time we dined out.  This past year, I have enjoyed slowly learning how to cook Indian food in my own kitchen.

On a Friday evening, we placed our first order at Passage to India.  Many of Fargo’s ethnic restaurants seem tamed-down in comparison to my favorite places in the Twin Cities.  So we ordered everything extra spicy and crossed our fingers.

Love At Fresh Curry Leaves
Passage To India is adjacent to the Fargo License Bureau, where I spent two lunch hours this past week.  No longer a guest.  Not quite a legend.

Upon entering Passage To India, I noticed Indian ingredients and a small cooler in a nook near the counter.  I knew we were in good hands when I saw a small sign advertising fresh curry leaves.

The onion pakoras, $5, were crunchy delights.  The batter was a bit thicker than what I just tasted at Surabhi, but it was shatteringly crunchy, greaseless, and warm with spices.  A slight fire grew in my mouth.

We scooped up our saucy entrees with a mixed naan basket that included a few varieties of flat breads.   The menu lists describes the basket as including naan, garlic naan, onion kulcha, and alu paratha.  Our order included about six pieces for $7 which seems a bit pricey.  I can only remember tasting garlic naan and alu paratha.  The texture of the naan which was slim and delicate.

Whenever a meal involves naan, Jake and I nearly get into flatbread scuffles.  I think I lost this one.

Okra is an underrated vegetable and, per usual, we ordered bhindi masala, $10.  Passage’s version was saucy and included fresh tomato, onions, and green pepper.  While I would have preferred Passages swap more okra for green pepper, the sauce was just so tasty.

We randomly ordered the Lamb Chettinad Curry, $12, not knowing what to expect.  Tender pieces of lamb lie beneath the calm surface of the velvety gravy.  Complex, spicy, and deep.

Lastly, I ordered raita for myself.

The thin, cool yogurt sauce complimented the intensely flavored gravies and their heat.

Overall, we were impressed with the quality, addictiveness, and spiciness of Passage’s food.  My Indian food craving hits hard, fast, and more frequent by the minute.  I feel secure knowing I have access to Indian food as delicious as I have found in the Twin Cities.

Jake claims it tasted better than Surabhi.  I think it’s right on par, but am partial to Surabhi’s Thali meals that provide naan and condiments for a flat, additional up-charge.  But the sauces were so compelling and well-balanced that we licked our plates and containers clean, not wasting a drop.

Someone recommended their weekend buffet and I look forward to visiting.

On a final note, I will add that although I now own a ND drivers license, license plates and car title,

I’m still 612, ya’ll.