Vaishali.......need I say more?

I begin my blog with a tribute to the mother of all restaurants-VAISHALI in good old Pune. I mainly plan to make this a blog about restaurants in the US but no review can be complete without mentioning Vaishali.
It is best described this "If there were to be a law made that only one restaurant can continue to exist in Pune, and a vote is taken, the winner will be Vaishali hands down." Usually when any one from Pune based in the US is headed back home, his/her friends will almost always say "Please have an SPDP in Vaishali for me"

Vaishali has a huge fan following, to the point of devotion, in Pune and there are many regulars who have breakfast there, either daily or on weekends. I believe there is a group of friends who are there everyday in the morning so religiously that they even have a newspaper delivered there.

I think I will be fairly right in saying that the SPDP(Sev Dahi Batata Puri) is the most popular dish on the menu. It is no surprise that Vaishali is full in the evenings, given that SPDP is available only after 5.30 PM.

My favourite dish is the Mysore Masala Dosa. The pungent red chutney which is coated on the inside of the dosa gives the MMD it's special taste.

Mad Mex..................

One of the concepts I was newly introduced to when I came over to the US was "Happy Hour". Mad Mex or Mad4Mex as the sign says, is a very popular joint on the campus at Penn. It is basically a Mexican joint (Surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!) and is mainly famous for it's Bigg Azz Margaritas which are under 10$ from 4.30 to 6.30 pm. 

My overwhelming favourite dish there is the "South West Wings". They come in 3 spice levels-Mild, Wild and Insane. For a while, they were taken off the menu but were brought back, supposedly after a strong outcry by the customers.

I would go on to say they figure in the top 3 list of my favourite dishes ever.

Dahlak...............

Located among the now restaurant dominated is the famous Ethipion-Eriterian restaurant called DAHLAK. I believe it has been voted as one of the top restaurants in Philly on multiple occasions.

The food is served on top of their typical bread called Injera, which is very similar to the South Indian Dosa. In fact the food is very similar to Indian cuisine, down to their most commonly ordered appetizer-Sambusa-which sounds and is almost like Samosa. Please remember this food has to be eaten with your bare hands to enjoy it's true taste.

My favourite dish is the Yebeg Tibs, which are cubes of fresh lamb sautéed with onions, garlic, and herb butter. It is simply delicious and I would often pick it up on a Saturday afternoon and have it at home while watching re-reruns of Law Order SVU.

Intro...........

Over the last few years, I have been very fortunate to have enjoyed many a good meal with my friends and family at various restaurants in India and the US. Pune is like no other city in the world and a food-lover's delight. Philadelphia is an excellent city for an international student to begin his US journey in. A decent public transport system makes moving around without a car relatively easy. The wide variety of cuisines available throughout the city are a foodie's delight.

Being a regular at a restaurant(s) has many advantages. For one, you know how much to believe on the server's recommendations. Another one is forming a customer-server relationship which ensures great service and being able to make modifications on dishes to suit your tastes, as you will read in my post about Beijing sometime soon.

I plan to speak about one dish that is outstanding in my opinion in each restaurant. Please do send in your comments and I will be happy to share them with everyone.