Shalimar serves up hot and mild Editor's note: This restaurant closed in 1999. by Sumita Louis, Outpost Staff Shalimar, Reno's newest Indian restaurant, is already making a name for itself with Indian food buffs. Its main selling points are its interesting menu, a cheerful staff and an exotic atmosphere. The decor is a welcome change. While most Indian restaurants in Reno and nearby California seem to prefer a rather bare and functional look, Shalimar which means "garden of flowers," comes as a pleasant surprise. Obviously inspired by its Indian name, the restaurant's general motif is flowers. The spacing of the tables, each capable of seating four, ensures privacy. Each table has a canopy of artificial flowers and trailing vines. With lit candles and subdued lighting, the atmosphere is almost romantic. Even the waiters brighten up the place. In their colorful shirts with big floral prints, they flit about like butterflies in a tropical garden. Along with three other Indian friends celebrating their raise at work, dinner last week at Shalimar was a sumptuous affair. Not surprisingly, the total bill for the four of us amounted to over $ 100. But hey, I wasn't the one paying. For us, however, it was not the decor or the atmosphere but the menu which promised to transport diners into culinary ecstasy. According to the proprietor, Ansar Masud, all the dishes are based on homemade recipes handed down for generations in his family. His mother even supervises the chefs in the kitchen. The result: the four of us enjoyed a superb dinner last week! Shalimar means garden of flowers in Hindhi and the atmosphere fits it perfectly. Photo by Jon Gubman     The menu has everything--well almost. From the relatively popular hot Indian curries and tandoori dishes to lesser known dishes such as baigan vindaloo (egg-plant delight) and katti kabobs (chicken rolls), there was something for every palate. For the first time visitor, there is the Sampler, a variety of mouthwatering delicacies from appetizers to dessert. Selected by the chef, this is a four-course dinner with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian selections. As the menu promises, the Sampler is a culinary experience to be cherished. The regular sampler ($16.95) is a great choice for the uninitiated who might face a problem ordering from the vast and rather complicated menu. The menu had much to offer connoisseurs of Indian food as well. We began with some really crisp pakoris, deep-fried slices of onion or potato dipped in white sauce. Still arguing over what to order for the main course, (everything sounded delicious) we also ordered samosas, deep-fried rolls with potato filling. The pakoris and samosas ($ 2.75 and $3.15 respectively) were just delicious and are hot favorites with the regular clientele! For our entrees, we decided on the karahi chicken, the prawn curry, baigan vindaloo and the boti kabab (from the Tandoori section). All these are priced between $13.95-$16.95 and come with rice and nan (Indian bread baked in a clay oven), a choice of soup, or salad. During our discussion on what to order, the waiters and the owner himself were a great help. All of them speak excellent English and it came as a real surpise to us that the waiters (all young Americans) could pronounce the dishes' names correctly and discuss each dish's relative merits and flaws. This was another barrier that Shalimar breaks; most Indian restaurants have Indian staff. As Indians, we found it very interesting to hear our language being spoken by relative foreigners. With such an interesting decor, sparkling cutlery (another first), and the attentive service, it was time to get some good wine to aid our minds (which couldn't believe our good luck in discovering this little gastronomic treasure! ) and sensitize our palates. Most Indian restaurants do not have a wine list, though some of them serve Kingfisher, the famous Indian beer. Shalimar is one of the few Indian restaurants, with a comprehensive wine list. The housewine from the Monteret vinyards comes highly recommended. For those with more expensive tastes, the well-stocked bar in the foyeur has it all, from Chardonnays to the more mellow wines. The prices are pretty affordable too, ranging from $12 to $34 per bottle. According to the bartender, Eric, the wine list has been selected with the menu in mind and each wine on the list will go well with any dish. Although Indian food is not traditionally accompanied with wine or liquor, gourmet buffs have found that wine does complement the delicate spices and flavor of the dishes. Dinner at Shalimar is a pretty long-winded affair, and in most cases the food takes about half an hour to reach the table. We started with the soup. I tried the dal (the traditional Indian lentil soup). The soup was just right, delicately flavored and light, yet creamy. After a short wait, the entrees arrived. The mouthwatering aromas and the artistically arranged platters were a welcome sight. Each platter had small servings of rice and waiters kept bringing fresh, hot nan whenever needed. The four of us decided to share the dishes, although the portion were pretty small. The boti kababs were just out of this world. The small rolls of lamb were delicately flavored with spices and baked in the traditional Indian oven, or tandoor. The prawn curry had a little gravy to it and with pieces of nan dipped in it, just melted in the mouth. Even the baigan vindaloo, a vegetarian dish of eggplant roasted in the tandoor with tomatoes and aromatic spices and channa masalas was tasty, although a little too spicy even for our Indians palates. And last but not least, the karahi chicken, my personal favorite, was an instant hit with the rest of the gang. This dish consists of chunks of chicken cooked with lots of tomatoes, onions, and aromatic spices in a karahi (a brass pan) which gives the whole dish a smoky kind of taste. With chunks of nan or mixed with rice, this is one dish to be tasted! All the dishes are offered in a choice of hot, medium and very hot spices. I would recommend a hot or medium choice for first-time diners at Shalimar. For dessert , there was kheer ($2.50), creamy rice pudding, Kulfi ($3.00), homemade Indian ice-cream with slices of pistachio in it, Mango ice-cream ($2.50), a major favorite with regulars here since it's homemade as well, and rasmalai ($3.50), baked cottage cheese, chilled and served in a creamy syrup. While the portions could have been larger, each was a creamy treat in its own right. Dinner for four with a bottle of wine came to around $165 (including the tip). This is rather expensive when compared to other Indian restaurants in this town. But for those with a hankering for real Indian food, it is worth the price. What I really like about Shalimar is the decor, the service and the great food. The only problem I had was that the portions served were rather small. I also thought the menu is rather overpriced. Dinner here could be for those special occasions, not on a regular basis.   Shalimar 6770 S. Virginia St. (702) 851-3838 Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. (lunch); Sunday through Thursday, 4 to 9 p.m.; Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m. High point: good food Low point: too expensive All major credit cards and local checks accepted copyright 12/8/97 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost