Tulsi

I have nothing witty or smart to entitle this post, as Tulsi is a restaurant that speaks for itself. As stated on the restaurant website, "Located in Kittery Maine, Tulsi in a short time has earned the reputation of the best Indian Restaurant on the Seacoast." In a word, it is divine. If you are someone who enjoys Indian food they will love the variety and freshness. And for those who don't think they like Indian food, you will think otherwise after tasting the delicacies that come out of this tandoor oven!

The atmosphere here is intimate and calming. That is until the dinner crowd rolls in, such as my experience on a weeknight at 7pm the small restaurant was bustling. Reservations are suggested for parties of more then two!

The wine and beer selection was more then adequate and we were surprised that prices were extremely affordable. We ordered a bottle of Chilean Chardonnay called Oveja Negra for $20. It was crisp and fruity, a perfect accent to the heat of some of our dishes.

For five people, we ordered three appetizers, Malai Kabob ("Breasts of chicken marinated in sour cream and mild spices, and grilled in the Tandoor clay oven")

Bhel Puri ("Assorted wheat flour chips, spiced puffed rice tossed with our own chutneys, chopped tomatoes and onion"),

and Jeera Kabobs ("Cubes of chicken thighs marinated in a blend of cumin, ginger, garlic and indian spices cooked in the Tandoor oven and served on a bed of mixed greens.")

I found the chicken dishes very succulent, fork tender and extremely flavorful. You have to enjoy dark meat to lke the Jeera Kabobs but they were a nice alternative to the white breast meat kabobs. I thought I would dislike the Bhel Puri for the mango but the components were finely chopped and mixed together in a very flavorful and aromatic balance of sweet and spicy; that dish had some heat!

We had a variety of entrees including my all time favorite, Chicken Tikka Masala which was creamy and rich, Pork Vindaloo which packed some heat but had succulent and tender meat, Chana Saag which was TO DIE FOR and not on the menu, but definitely something you could ask for (since the were out of Paleek Paneer) - just a very flavorful combination dish of chickpeas and spinach. Very creamy! And we ordered a variety of breads like Garlic Naan and Aloo Paratha. Never enough bread to soak up the delightful sauce of my Tikka Masala. I was glad to find another order of bread arrive near the end of the meal, thanks to a friends' forward thinking but this time it was Peshawari Naan.

This bread, Peshawari Naan, deserved it's own course. This was more dessert then anything else, with sweetness from the nuts, spices and coconut. It was almost fried in butter and had a feel of a carnival delicacy. I was in heaven. Full tummy with warm spicy food and good friends. It was a meal worth repeating.. and I am very very glad for the leftovers I have to enjoy tonight!