Indian Oven @ the Old Market

It has become abundantly apparent that I can not keep this blog to one post a month. However, I do plan to stay true to my 'thing of the month'. I am working on some delicious honey recipes for June and am planning to try them out on friends this weekend at my Friday night games and wine party. If your invited, feel lucky. I'm also looking for a real 'honey farm' to see these bee's in action. If anyone knows of anywhere in the Nebraska area please leave me a comment.

Well, this particular post is all about one of my favorite things, curry! I count my blessing that I have some adventurous friends when it comes to food because heaven help me, my family is not. This weekend Theary and I met in Omaha's Old Market. I can't believe I don't visit this place more often. I'm making it a goal of this summer to visit at least once a month, if not more. The buildings are beautiful, the shopping is great, the people are quirky and oh so friendly and there are dozens of unique restaurants to try.Our pick for the afternoon was Indian Oven. I must admit I was skeptical at first, which was totally unfair. I was confusing Indian Oven with another Indian restaurant in the area. I have no personal experience to judge this other restaurant, my only issue is that they serve several fusion dishes and when it comes to curry I want mine 100% authentic. Back to Indian Oven. What an amazing place. Right away we were greeted by Maria, a colorful woman who was not just interested in helping us find our seat but took the time to chat with us about why we were in her restaurant, if we had experienced Indian dining before and then continued to talk with us about their culture, Theary's photography and this blog. Oh and did I mention that the restaurant was packed? She could have very easily shown us to our seat and moved onto the next customer but she didn't. We knew right away this was going to be a great meal. Now I haven't had Indian food since I left Chicago last July, or at least Indian food that I didn't cook myself. And lets face it, when it comes to this stuff its best made by someone who has grown up with these spices, smells and techniques. When ordering I had to go for my favorite dish, Chicken Tikka Korma (Spicy, please!) and Theary choose a lamb dish, Rogan Gosht. Of coarse we also got Naan and Ritia. At this point I was getting really nervous because we also had a three year old dinning with us, what could we possibly feed this little guy? The Zoe plate is what our waitress recommended. A meal of real chicken pieces (not processed nuggets) plain rice and sweet potato fries. Kid friendly food that is healthy and teaches them good eating habits.

Our food arrived and we were not disappointed. The gravies were bursting with flavor, the meat unbelievably tender and the spice right on. The spice is what makes these dishes so extraordinary. The basic flavors, textures and colors are intact regardless of how much heat you want in your dish. In other cuisines if you take away the heat, you take away the flavor. And if you like the heat (I do!) it's something special in itself. It takes three or four bites before the heat kicks in. And when it does it takes over but somehow manages to never destroy the flavor of the dish. Indian food is some of the hottest food I have ever eaten and yet it has never been so overwhelming that I can not taste the other flavors present. We finished our meal with a shared bowl of kheer. We couldn't eat more than a few bites but had to finish with something sweet. And sweet it was, shortly after our dessert arrived the Chef came out to greet us. As a Chef myself I know how hard it is to tear yourself away from the line, your prep, or the general chaos of the kitchen. It doesn't seem like much to diners but ten minutes is a lot of time behind the scenes when every table in the restaurant (and patio) is full. It was so wonderful to know everyone from the hostess to the kitchen staff personally cared about our dining experience.Overall this was a spectacular lunch; I look forward to dining here again.Oh and as a final tip, Don't forget to tip! Although the atmosphere may make you think you are no longer in Omaha, this is still America and our waiters and waitresses make their livings off of tips, so be kind and generous as these men and women work hard and deserve 20% or more.

Want to try Indian Oven for yourself? Visit them at 1010 Howard Street, Omaha Nebraska (402) 342-4856