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India Garden: It'll keep you coming back

New restaurant brings a fresh, and often perfect, perspective to its cuisine

By Wendy Miller CONTRIBUTING RESTAURANT CRITIC

The oversize corner building straddling the access road along Patchen Drive has never beckoned. It just sits there, and for years has impersonated a restaurant. That unwelcoming aura, coupled with a bunch of past bad meals, had cemented my "don't go there" attitude.

Well, that has changed with India Garden, Lexington's new remedy for the ghee-saturated who seek a fresh, light perspective on the subcontinent's abundant culinary possibilities. With the exception of crimson finger stains from tandoori shrimp ($7.99 as an appetizer) and the cool core of a potato-and-pea samosa (imagine Indian turnovers) -- a notable minus on the assorted platter ($6.95) consisting also of tender chicken tikka and crisp, piping hot pakoras (think Indian fritters) -- every bite and sip at this white-tablecloth restaurant raises the bar on Indian dining in Lexington.

The mulligatawny soup ($2.99) is fabulous and understated, with pulverized lentils giving a sleek elegant mouth feel that trumps the prevalent thicker versions; the addition of basil is brilliant.

Sampling only four entrees from the menu's five pages is hardly representative, but each was pretty much perfect.

The cubes of meat in the lamb methi masala ($13.99), with fenugreek and chopped spinach, were like butter. The sauce of the chicken mango wala ($13.99) married the heat of ginger with the sweetness of the mango chutney; I would have, however, wished for more tender dark meat. The Goa-inspired vegan vegetable vindaloo ($10.99), a stew of al dente cauliflower, green beans, peas, carrots and potatoes, opened with a tangy note, followed by each vegetable's distinct flavor, and closed with a layer of pleasant heat. Finally, fresh peas and homemade white cheese, aka matter paneer ($10.99), were respectively sweet and rich in a curry of tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger.

Incidentally, I ordered each dish with medium spiciness, which struck the ideal balance between the flavors of the food and the spicy chilies.

Although entrees include basmati rice, you still need a pratha (hot buttery whole wheat bread, $2.75), or a garlic naan (the beloved pliant dirigible of white bread, $2.99). Or both.

A refreshing conclusion to a warm meal is a dessert of kulfi ($3.75), or ice cream, whose crystalline texture is more like ice milk, with a hint of rose water and ground pistachios and almonds.

Service is pleasant, efficient and anonymous, and management is knowledgeable, informing rather than marketing. One proof of that is the inclusion of sustainably cultivated white wines from India (less than $8 a glass), both superb partners for the cuisine. The owner also recommended the imported Flying Horse beer ($7.95 for 22 ounces) over the now-made-in-the-U.S.A. Kingfisher ($6.95).

I have been to India Garden three times in 10 days, more than I have set foot in that structure in a decade.

I intend to make that a habit.

A three-course dinner for two, including wine, beer and tax but not tip, was about $61.