[ Dining Index | Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]

Cheap Eats By Jeff Kearns Shalimar Indian Cuisine 167 W. San Fernando St., San Jose; 408.971.2200 Mon-Sat 11am-2:30pm, 5-10pm; Sun 11:30am-3pm, 5-9pm I had lunch plans elsewhere until a friend called with news of a new Indian place with a buffet not far from the office in downtown San Jose. "We came here last week," the friend said. "We each went back for thirds. We could hardly stay awake the rest of the afternoon." Thus was I introduced to Shalimar, a nice, bright little restaurant a few doors down from the San Jose Museum of Art on San Fernando Street. The menu boasts six pages crammed with chicken, lamb, fish, veggie and tandoori choices, but hungry lunchers don't need to read the menu. The $8.95 buffet invites gluttony. Owner Asha Singh, an Indian-born transplant from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., opened the restaurant (her third) last month in a space formerly occupied by a carpet store. Singh says the buffet dishes change daily, and adds that there are a few other dishes offered that aren't on the menu. Saag panir and matar panir are always available, and the usual suspects include chicken tikka masala, moughlai chicken and Kashmiri lamb. One of the tastiest offerings on the day of my visit was the chicken pakovas--similar to tandoori but spicier. Vegetarian dishes are always part of the buffet. Most menu items are $10 to $14, and Shalimar is open for dinner until 10pm (except Sundays). Send a letter to the editor about this story . [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]