Review: Saffron, Fargo

[Sal Atticum]

Dale, from Grand Cities Dining.

Saffron: Fargo

Saturday, July 28, 2007

A topic of frequent discussion locally is the lack of certain restaurants. While there are those who pine for various chains (Olive Garden and Denny's seemingly towards the tops of many people's lists,) there are others, including myself, who would welcome different styles of food being offered in the Grand Cities instead. Frankly, there are only so many ways to make an egg, and while adding Denny's would afford fresh (though not necessarily good,) grits, and cut down on the post-church lines at Perkins and Village Inn, it's not all that interesting in the long run.

One of the signs of a growing and vibrant community is varied ethnic cuisine, and, aside from Kon Nechi Wa, I'm not sure that we really have a lot to say on that front here in the Forks. You can get thirty different hamburgers, but if you want hummus, real pico de gallo or dim sum, you're out of luck. This isn't really a ding on the city, but perhaps it's a note of hope that, as we continue to grow, we'll start to see some good ethnic restaurants (which are almost always small, locally owned, and focused on pleasing the customer, all things that blog commenters seem to favour.)

However, I'm not one to sit around waiting for it, so when Patti suggested that we run down to Fargo to buy a set of high end cookery that she'd earmarked a recent bonus for, I proffered up the idea of taking in one of the two Indian restaurants down there for lunch. I'd really learned to love Indian food, tandoori chicken and curry in particular, during a work stint in Michigan, where there was a Indian buffet near Michigan State University that we frequented. Patti, on the other hand, hadn't a lot of exposure to it, but was game for a try.

So, around 1:30 this afternoon, we walked into the place and were greeted by a pleasant woman who showed us to our table, and let us know that, at lunch, it was a buffet only. Honestly, if you haven't had Indian food, that's the way to go, as it allows you to figure out what's what, and what goes well together.

The cuisine is very aromatic -- one enjoys the smell also as much as the taste, and you know that the minute that you walk in the door. If you're not fond of strong scents, you're probably not going to enjoy this type of food. It is all incredibly well spiced, as well. I don't think that I've ever seen anyone use salt and pepper at one of these restaurants, because there's really no place for it.

Finally, it's pretty much of a vegetarian gig. There's no beef, obviously, and the Indian diet is far more reliant on vegetables and grains than we eat here. So, on the buffet, there was tandoori chicken (chicken pieces, mostly drumsticks, marinated with yogurt and spices, then baked in a clay oven,) a chicken curry and some sort of lamb thing that I steered clear of, not liking lamb all that much. Beyond those three, there were about fifteen dishes on the line, so you've got a lot of lentil and chickpea items to choose from.

I enjoyed pretty much everything out there, particularly the awesome tandoori chicken, with the exception of the desserts, which were three varieties of pretty much the same thing -- some sort of starch, soaking in sugar water. The result was somewhat akin to eating a very sweet, very wet sponge. Not a great experience. Patti liked the curry and a couple of other things, but said she wouldn't be in a rush to come back, unless it was for the evening meal that can be ordered off of a menu (see the web site link below, at which they post the evening menu.)

Service, for a buffet, was pretty prompt and efficient. It was just the one girl, but she kept the plates cleared away, our glasses full and brought a basket of grilled flat bread (excellent,) offering to refill it once it was empty (we declined.) The owner came round at one point to see how things were, and when we told him we were from Grand Forks, he said a lot of GF residents came down to eat there. He'd looked into opening a restaurant up here, but said that it was about impossible to find an Indian cook and get them to stay in the area.

By the time that we left, there were a number of other patrons, demonstrating that, even on a Saturday afternoon, post-lunch rush, there's a market for this type of food. In Fargo, at least.

Verdict: Well worth the amount of going out of the way it requires

Saffron
3003 32nd Ave S
Fargo, ND 58103
(701) 241-4200
Hours: 11AM - 2PM (Lunch buffet); 5PM - 9PM (Fine dining)
Website: Saffron Heavenly Indian Cuisine