Rick Gunn/Nevada Appeal Raghavi Anand, 8, bottom right, and her mother Ratna Anand, behind her, dish up a plate of Indian cuisine during the grand opening of India Curry Restaurant in the former Godfather's Pizza restaurant on North Carson Street. The owners offered a free taste of their dishes Wednesday.
Ten-year-old Manroop Sandhu's favorite item in the India Curry Restaurant's buffet was the marinated chicken, or tandoori. He pulled a piece of meat off the bone and ate it with a smile.
His friend, 8-year-old Jaskirat Dhami, also enjoyed the chicken, but he said a lot of the food was a little too spicy for him.
Every table was full at Wednesday's grand opening lunch buffet of the only Indian cuisine restaurant in Carson City.
The two Carson City kids were some of the many Indians who came to celebrate the restaurant's grand opening. Jasbar Sandhu, Super 8 Motel owner, said he met the owners of the new restaurant in Reno at the gurdwara, the Sikh church.
"Everything is very delicious," he said while bent over a full plate of food.
His favorite is a mixture of lentils, butter and coriander, called dal makhni.
The line in front of the buffet was long, but it moved quickly as guests piled their plates with rice, tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala and vegetarian pakora. One man waiting in line said this restaurant is a bit different than those in India - the food here isn't as spicy.
Balloons festooned the front entrance to the restaurant, 2329 N. Carson St., and the ceiling dripped with streamers. Inside children played soccer with the balloons while their parents ate or chatted with friends.
Teri Schloemer, the tour and travel manager for the state, and Janet Jones, Carson City Convention and Visitor's Bureau sales manager, were waiting for this restaurant to open for weeks.
"We love Indian food," Schloemer said. "This was the only kind of ethnic restaurant we didn't have in Carson, but now we can tell visitors about it."
Her favorite item is the naan, Indian bread, and the deep-fried vegetables. Jones likes the chicken tikka masala, which is cooked in a tomato sauce.
"The service has been most impressive, very welcoming," she said.
Just as she said that an out-of-breath waiter with a shiny forehead stopped at their table to ask if they needed anything else.
"We'll come back," both women said after the waiter left with no requests.
Off to the side, beside the bathrooms, several Indian women wearing eye-catching silk beaded suits cradled children or entertained the older children within an arm's length.
These are the wives or relatives of the owners. One woman, wearing a beige silk gown edged in dark red with embroidered flowers, said they were waiting for all the guests to be served first before they got in line.
The owners are Gurdeep Singh, Sewa Singh, Bishan Singh and Kulvinder Singh. They are not related.
If you go:
The all-you-can-eat buffet is 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and dinner is served from 3-10 p.m.
Contact the restaurant at 887-9600.
Contact Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.
