Local Eats: Vimala's Curry Blossom - Chapel Hill, NC

Avi loves Mango Lassi I wish I could remember my first experience with Indian cuisine. I can't even recall how old I was or where I was, and this saddens me. So many people find the flavors to be overwhelming or offensive, maybe because the balance of spices was off, or because there is just too much ghee (Indian clarified butter). Whatever the case, I'm pretty sure I fell in love with it instantly, because I could eat it daily if my health wouldn't suffer. At least that's what I thought. Usually the heavy flavors and cooking techniques of most indian restaurants I'd been to would leave me feeling lethargic or heavy. This was all about to change with one meal from Vimala's Curryblossom.

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Sitar Indian Restaurant - Nashville, TN

Pakora
I had the pleasure of eating with my good friends Mike Marsh and his wife Lori on my most recent visit to the Music City. Mike as you may know helped us out a bit on the last Avett Brothers album "I and Love and You." He and Lori offered me an extra pass to go see Jakob Dylan and I quickly jumped at the offer. This was our pre-show meal before going to the Chihuly exhibit and THEN going to go see the show. Nashville's lucky for having such a great little Indian spot on Vanderbilt University's campus.

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Raj of India - London, England, UK

London seems like an eternity ago now, but this meal seems to still stick in my head pretty vividly. Cracker and I went out on one of our awkward dinner searches together. I seem to always try to act a little more crass around him. In fact I think he may bring the best out of all of us. In any case that's neither here nor there. Indian was our quest, and I've been told that the Indian food in the UK is better than in India and I've never been to India. After seeking out the restaurant our concierge suggested us and coming up empty handed we stumbled up on Raj of India. Isn't it great when things just work out?

An Assortment of Condiments

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