The first signs of fall hit me hard this year. The cooler weather and leaves changing color felt like a tragedy. Perhaps it’s because my daughter has started kindergarten and it feels like life is moving too fast.
With everything moving so fast, I’ve been craving comfort food. Also, I don’t want to cook because my daughter is adjusting to her new school schedule by being crazy.
So, after school recently I headed out to Curries, a tiny Indian restaurant off Casino Road, with my husband and daughter in tow. It doesn’t look like much, from the outside or inside. It’s a small restaurant, just a half-dozen tables or so. The employees are friendly and welcoming, though, and the food is what matters.
I heard about Curries because a friend told me I had to try it. The first time we ate there, we ordered take-out. What I remember most about that meal was the naan. We accidentally ordered way more than we needed and I was eating naan for days.
Yet, even after a few days of getting a bit dry in the fridge, the naan was amazing. It was soft and buttery and perfectly seasoned with a nice crust. It’s best fresh, of course, when it’s hot and chewy. But it warms up great, too.
We also ordered the samosa chat appetizer ($3.99), a pastry filled with potatoes and chickpeas and topped with yogurt, tamarind and mint chutney. The samosas were crisp on the outside and wonderfully soft on the inside. The flavor was good on its own, but even better with the chutney, which was my favorite.
Another favorite was the butter chicken ($11.99), which was tender and rich and more flavorful than any I’ve had in the past.
We returned this week for dinner. I not only had no interest in cooking, I didn’t even want to make a fork dirty. So we ate at the restaurant. We were the first to actually take a table in the restaurant when we arrived, but by the time we left, every table was full.
I order korma curry with lamb ($12.99). I never make lamb at home, it’s a treat I save for dining out and it was delicious. It was tender and the curry was beautifully spiced. It had just the right amount of heat, enough that you could feel it but not so much it overpowered the other spices. I enjoyed it both over the basmati rice and with the naan.
My husband ordered the tikka masala with chicken $11.99 (price). Again, the spices were perfect. The flavor was complex and balanced.
The entrees were served in lovely metal bowls that, at first glance, made the portions seem small. After we actually started eating, we discovered there was plenty to go around.
We should have ordered more naan, though. We apparently have a hard time getting the quantity right. At $1.99 for four pieces, the price is right.
The next day, I was still craving the comfort of Indian food, so I ordered lunch from Curries online. They have a very convenient online order form on their website, curriesineverett.com. You can get two lunch-sized entrees plus naan for $7.99 or three entrees for $8.99.
I ordered lunch with tandoori chicken (stellar), butter chicken (just as good as last time) and channa masala (not as heavy as the rest, so great for lunch.)
I also added on a dessert because, hey, comfort food. The Rasmalai is a dumpling soaked in sweetened melt, flavored with cardamom ($2.59).
After lunch I was very full, very happy and not particularly productive at work. Unless you count day-dreaming about food as productive.
Curries
507 A West Casino Road, Everett, 425-265-1200, curriesineverett.com
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Friday; noon to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Alcohol: Wine and beer.
Vegetarian and vegan options available.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
