The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Up until about 12 years ago when I was living in Omaha (Nebraska), I had never tried Indian food. My parents recommended I give it a gander, and once I did, I became hooked. I've reached the point where I may have to attend IFA (Indian Food Anonymous) meetings, because if I don't eat it at least once a week, I start having (similar to nic-) fits. Since moving to the Columbus (Ohio) area, I've tried a dozen different Indian restaurants and thought I'd provide some brief reviews for anyone interested in trying the cuisine for the first time or for anyone in the central Ohio area looking for a suggestion on such a restaurant. As four of them have closed, I'll rank the restaurants in descending order, starting with #8: 12.  New India  ( http://www.newindiarestaurant.com/ ): If you're in the mood for an Indian buffet but are a tad short on money, this is the place to go. I'd give the buffet's variety an average grade (there are more non-vegetarian than vege...

I don't eat frozen meals often, but stumbled upon a brand about a month ago which I've taken quite a liking to and thought I'd spread the good word about it. While I like American food, I'm rather obsessed with ethnic cuisine, Indian in particular. There are at least three Indian restaurants in the area whose employees recognize me every time I waltz in. Fortunately for me, I found an Indian grocery store sandwiched in between two of these very restaurants and the place is like heaven for me, well, minus massages and football. From soups (Mulligatawny and Rasam are my two favorites) to breads (garlic naan) to sauces and seasonings to snacks (jelabi) to frozen meals and beyond. I've tried three different brands of frozen meals, but the one which stands out from the rest for me is Shan. I've tried just about every frozen meal of theirs to this point and have found them all to be quite tasty. My favorite might be the Chicken Kahari, but the Butter Chicken, Chicke...