By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com
I have this funny reaction to Indian food: The minute I start thinking about it, I want to go get some.
The only issue is where to go! Louisville is currently blessed with enough good Indian eateries that I’d be hard pressed to declare one of them the local G.O.A.T. It would be like trying to pick this year’s Derby winner without a photo!
But I’ll say this for sure: Clay Oven in Middletown is a strong contender for the prize.
Clay Oven has been a favorite for me since its arrival more than a decade ago, a place with such allure that I’ll go there even when I’m not reviewing.
Not only is the Indian food seemingly authentic, with a tilt toward the flavors of Northern India, but the large dining room in Middletown’s Eastgate Shopping Center, adjacent to Kroger, is attractive and comfortable. No complaints about service, either, which has been uniformly courteous and cordial.
What’s more, the menu is extensive even by Indian-restaurant standards. You’ve got about 120 items to choose among, divided into appetizers, soups, salads, clay oven (tandoor) specialties, chicken, lamg, seafood, and vegetarian options, Indian-Chinese dishes, rice-based dishes including biryani and pilaf, an array of Indian breads, Indian desserts, chutneys and other accompaniments, and Indian and American beverages.
Whew! Better still, pricing remains comfortably affordable especially in the current economy, with virtually all entrees priced in the lower to middle teens, and nothing that I could see costing more than $17.99.
I started my recent visit with a bowl of steaming tomato soup ($4.99). If you think that doesn’t sound Indian, hang on: This is not what you get from the familiar red-and-white can but something a lot more tasty and interesting. It’s red, all right, but relatively thin and brothy, studded with bits of onion. It’s moderately spicy with a palate-tingling sour note, a hot-sour combination that wakes up your taste buds.
Knowing that more spice was coming, we summoned a pair of salty lassis ($3.99 each), another Indian standard that Clay Oven does particularly well. Lassi is a simple blend of full-fat yogurt, a little water, cumin and cilantro leaves and salt, buzzed into a foamy, frothy mix that’s cool and refreshing on its own and a great coolant for peppery fire. Lassi is often made with mango or other fruit and sugar for a dessert-like treat, but make mine unsweet and salty, please!
A filling main course, fish palak ($16.99), illustrated the complexity of North Indian cuising. A large portion filled an Indian-style metal serving bowl with a handle on each side. A rich, thick sauce cloaked finely chopped spinach plus onions and a chorus of herbs and spices. Mixed in were at least a dozen 3/4-inch cubes of salmon that had been seared in the tandoor and a few tomato chunks. This was ordered, and delivered, with mild spice on Clay Oven’s four-level heat scale: Mild, medium, hot, and Indian hot.
I almost invariably order dal at Clay Oven. This simple yet fascinating Indian comfort food is a porridge-like treat based on lentils, so healthful and good, then kicked up with a bewildering variety of hot or mild spices, herbs, coconut milk or cream or a little brown sugar, yielding dozens of variations that are bound to include one to your liking.
This time my liking was for dal tadka ($11.99, pictured at the top of this page), a classic version that’s made in two stages: First yellow lentils are cooked with onions, tomatoes, and spices until they’re tender and comforting. Then comes the tadka, an extra flavor blast imparted by spices bloomed in hot oil or ghee and stirred into the lentils just before serving. I ordered this thick, golden lentil stew prepared hot, and it came out spicy enough to make he happy without inflicting actual pain.
I ordered another favorite, dal makhani ($11.99), to take home, and feasted on its rich, creamy decadence for days.
Perfectly prepared basmati rice came alongside in a large oval dish. Its exceptionally long white grains were fluffy, each separate, and prettily decorated with carrot shreds and peas
Tandoori roti ($2.99), a subtly flavored, ghee-anointed whole-wheat flatbread cooked in the tandoor until it was leopard-spotted with sweet spots of char, hit the spot as a side dish.
Our meal came to about $48 plus tip. The takeout box dal makhani ($11.99) to go, which came with more good rice, increased the tab to $60.35 plus a $15 tip.
Clay Oven Indian Restaurant
Eastgate Shopping Center
12567 Shelbyville Road
254-4363
clayovenlouisville.com
facebook.com/clayovenlouisville
Noise Level: The dining room was only partially full, and conversation was never a problem, with an average sound level at a gentle 52.7 dB.
Accessibility: The shopping-center space appears accessible to unassisted wheelchair users.
