Saffron Naples Indian Restaurant, Second Visit

I decided to revisit Saffron, especially after reading a silly critique from the local Daily News newspaper's entertainment and hopeful high school and middle school sports staffers, pressed into service now, as a newbie food critics. These fast food trained, clearly inexperienced young palates had an impression that just really missed the mark, ordering dishes at Saffron with similar saucings, then complaining about the similarity!

Don't get me wrong, this Daily News duo really might do ok at reviewing birthday party entertainment and food at ChuckE. Cheese, or comparing frozen TV chicken dinners for the Daily News, until the Daily News hires an experienced food critic.

Thus, I came for a second review, a reality check, with another couple that lived and cooked in India for decades, and understood, appreciated and explained the distinctions between the cuisines of the different regions of India.

On this Tuesday night, off-season, there were some 25 people served, a showing that topped some of the more popular places along 5th Avenue in Naples. Walking in, we breathed the delicate scent of the fresh Indian herbs and spices, and peered over the shoulders of other diners to see what they had tried! Pallavi Rai Rimal welcomed us, and was our server, matching our tastes with the luscious creations of her husband Chef Raj Rimal, and her brother, Chef Pravir Rai.

Chef Pravir, Pallavi and Chef Raj Rimal

We tried a different assortment of goodies from that on our first visit to Saffron, and after starting on Tiger Beers, had the Paneer Kulcha appetizer ($3.95), a round flat bread freshly baked in the Tandoor oven, filled with a good layer of homemade paneer cheese, sliced cooked yet still crunchy onions, a touch of coriander and cumin seed. We dipped our wedges in the fresh, alive cilantro and mint chutney dip.. A great way to whet an appetite! Highly recommended!

Paneer Kulcha (the filling is inside)

We sampled the super fresh regular Naan (2.95), and I preferred the additional taste of the delicate garlic naan's generous garlic bits (3.95), with both naans presenting a large piece of truly tandoor-fresh naan!

Naan and Chicken in the Tandoor's Intense Heat Removing the Naan from the Tandoor Garlic Naan, a White Flour Based Flatbread

For comparison to the white flour Naan flatbread, we had the Paratha (2.95), a buttered flat wheat bread. All three breads disappeared, sopping up sauces!

Paratha, a Whole Wheat Flatbread

Then the Spinach Dip (8.95), where deep fried crisp naan slices are spread with the chopped spinach, cream cheese and paneer dip, that is garnished with toasted bread crumbs. Tastes way better than my simple description, also highly recommended.

The Mulligatawny soup (4.95) was vegetarian style, had a lentil base thickened with chick pea flour, mild to moderately spiced, and best with a squeeze of lemon. This was better than the version we had upon my first visit.

I did forget the precise ingredients of what followed, as the plates arrived together, starting with the Channa Masala, with its base of garbanzo/chick peas in a rich cilantro and ginger root accented sauce, topped with tiny diced red onion, and garnished with fresh homemade yogurt. MMMM! My favorite was the Chicken Tikka Kadai, (14.95), a kicked up version of the venerable British -born favorite Chicken Tikka Masala, with a unique moderately spicy tomato and ginger garlic paste with onions, hints of jalapeno, and a touch of garam masala, forming a thick sauce that bathed and coated the bright red sliced of tandoori chicken. This is one of Saffron’s most ordered dishes. Gotta get it! The Lamb Vindaloo (17.95) is one of the hottest spiced dishes, a 10 on their 10 scale, and still not as hot as I’ve had vindaloos elsewhere, where one’s eyes teared and mouth burned. I’m quite happy with Saffron’s level of heat! (This moderate heat overwhelmed the inexperienced palates of the Daily News Duet, who never should order anything over "mild" to begin with.) The thick onion-tomato sauce contains red chili peppers, generous hunks of lamb, and potatoes, and is not for the uninitiated! A touch of lemon juice brings out the rich flavors. The Tandoori Salmon special is a welcome treat, putting the intense heat of the tandoor oven briefly upon the tender fish, and serving it with tender rice, asparagus, and a medley of vegetables. Dipped into a roasted tomato chutney, with hints of cilantro and garlic, it offered a ligher contrast to the richness of the sauces of other dishes. Kadai Gosht (17.95), offered a milder contrast to the vindaloo, and it’s tender lamb is mixed with chopped onions, tomato and garlic.

Next visit, we’ll try various Biryanis and the Thali, ( described as “A traditional Indian dinner served in a large metal round dish with matching metal bowls, each containing vegetables, meat, chicken, dal, yoghurt, and chutney”.)

The homemade Mango Kulfi (5), with in season fresh mango pulp, and a touch of condensed milk, was th ideal way to end a feast!

Check my February 17, original write up on Saffron!

http://aninsatiableappetite.blogspot.com/2008/02/saffron-indian-restaurant-in-naples.html
.

Saffron Indian Restaurant 2059 Pine Ridge Rd. (Behind Hess Station) Naples, FL 239-331-3319Supper only now, Tuesday-Sunday, closed Mondays

Saffron Indian Restaurant in Naples

Saffron’s co-owner and chef Rajesh Rimal has a welcome winner with Saffron’s cooking. It is hidden away behind a Hess gas station just off Pine Ridge, where the original Noodles was, then a BBQ Brothers, then a Cracklin Jack’s. My guests initially drove right by, 10 feet in front of Saffron’s at 5:30 pm, not seeing a lit sign or lights on inside, and kept on driving, before circling back. Pending new signage will remedy that! My two North Indian guests, quite well respected cooks, and I will happily return for more meals at Saffron. Saffron is more authentically Indian than Bonita's Passage to India, which is more like a British Pub's Indian food, and Passages is ok, only in a pinch. (If in Fort Myers-Bonita area, I'd recommend India Palace.)

The décor is simple, autumnal with oranges and woods, wooden tables in the center and cushioned booths around the perimeter, with Indian music gently playing in the background. Service is prompt, a pleasure as it’s only 3 weeks old. While this is usually too early for me to visit, the buzz about the place was just too strong to ignore.

The garlic Naan ($3.95), freshly baked in the Tandoor clay oven, filled a large basket , was the diameter of a medium pizza, and could have been a meal unto itself.

.
Naan

The generous mixed appetizer ($14.95), designed to serve 4, could be a dinner for two, with a kebab, meat samosa, a veggie samosa, chicken pakora, onion bhajai, eggplant pakora, sweet potato pakora, broccoli pakora and a crisp papadum on top. This sampling of all the other appetizers is a great way to start. Everything was properly cooked and deliciously spiced. The crispy things were super crispy, and the samosas were richly flavorful. The accompanying mint chutney was a delight.

Mixed Appetizer Next was quite fresh salads with a slightly tangy vinaigrette. The Mulligatawny soup (($4.95) was vegetarian, a change for those who expect chicken, and it was the only “just ok” dish of the evening.

The entrees were the stars. We ordered “medium” spicy on our dishes, and it was spot on. The Gosht Akbari ($17.95) was a succulent taste blend of lamb with dried apricots, other fruits and sliced green and red peppers in a tasty rich sauce. We could have used another few tablespoons of delectable sauce to dip with the naan; we were very happy with the dish.

The lusciously creamy Goa Shrimp ($18.95), with several perfectly tender large shrimp cooked in a mildly spiced coconut based sauce, was a tender delight, and my favorite, as I sopped up all the the sauce with the naan.

Goa Shrimp and Gosht Akbari Gosht Akbari
The mixed Tandoori Grill ($17.95) was a tasty selection of Chicken Tikka, (breast meat), Tandoori Shrimp, much like BBQ’ d shrimp, and Malai Seekh Kabobs- tasty lamb -a great example of a true Indian kebab, properly spiced. While the tandoor chicken was a touch dry, this was not the case with others who later ordered it. Others raved about the Saffron special chicken ($13.95)- a boneless chicken cooked with cauliflower in a light and spicy sauce.

Mixed Tandoor Platter (Veggies replacing rice) The white rice was very tasty, accompanied by cinnamon sticks, cloves, and mild tasting whole green cardamon pods. Sampling the Rogan Josh revealed a pleasant lamb curry. To be overly picky, it was just not the specific taste of the exquisite North Indian- Kashmiri Rogan Josh delight my Kashmiri (North Indian) cooks were expecting, which is where the dish originated. (It's like serving a "New England clam chowder" with a touch of say, coconut milk or corinader and cumin. Yes, it's a clam chowder; tasty?-perhaps, creative?-uh-huh; the real New England clam chowder deal to a New Englander?-nope.) Many US Indian restaurants generically call lamb curry variations a “Rogan Josh”, not aware that it’s really a very specific tasting dish, so we were not surprised- this is only an academic point, and certainly not a strike against them.

***Addendum*** We later tried the Hyderabadi Biryani ($17), a huge portion of tender spiced lamb, rice, nuts, raisins and other goodies, that has a great blend of mild spices , mild "heat" and just enough natural sweetness, to keep us tasting more! Check my July 1, 2008 entry for a second visit..

We were already planning on inviting other Indian diners to enjoy this oasis of food at a later date, when we heard of the Mango, and the pistachio Kulfis ($5) for dessert. Kulfi is a very hard and generally pretty sweet Indian ice cream, made of thickened milk (rather than a thick cream) and frozen in a specific mold, to yield perfect triangles of frozen love. Our favorite was the mango. Both were good, and less sweet than as found in India. Still, a good ending to a lovely meal.

Pistachio Kulfi Dining Room at 6 O'clock
The bill for generously serving very good Indian food to 3 people was $93, including 2 spiced teas and a diet soft drink, and there was food enough for four people-we wanted to sample a lot! While $23 per person may be higher than in other cities, one must cover the Naples high rent. This is a quite moderate price for the best quality Indian Cooking in the Lee- Collier area. The restaurant is already getting a following, all by word of mouth. We were full, and happily brought home the rest. Is it the best Indian restaurant we've sampled out of well over a hundred? No, however we were very pleased, and will sample more of Saffron’s offerings again.

Chef Pravir, Pallavi, and Chef Raj
Saffron Indian Restaurant 2059 Pine Ridge Rd. (Behind Hess Station) Naples, FL 239-331-3319
Supper only now, Tuesday-Sunday, closed Mondays