Indian Curry Bowl

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No doubt about it; restaurants are struggling in this tough economy. Mom-and-pops are struggling more than others, because they tend not to have the cash reserves and access to credit that most of the casinos and chains have. And so I’m always gratified when friends and acquaintances tell me they’re making a concerted effort to spend their money with the independents.

The worthy independents, that would be. There are those who shouldn’t be in business, and they’ll eventually fall by the wayside. But when that happens to a restaurant that really deserves a solid following, it’s just sad.

So here’s a tip for those of you committed to preserving the worthy independents: Indian Curry Bowl.

It is the quintessential mom and pop, with mom in the kitchen and pop (along with a server or two) in the dining room. And this is home cooking, if home was somewhere in the Indian subcontinent — soulful and soothing, with flavors that somehow make you feel better for having eaten them. Yeah, I know, I’m just sayin’.

We didn’t notice anything on the Indian Curry Bowl menu that we couldn’t find in most of the other Indian restaurants in town; the difference here is the quality. Beef samosas ($4.95) were nothing short of perfect, the shatteringly crisp crusts balanced by a moist, well-seasoned filling, with tamarind and cilantro chutneys on the side for a little flavor boost.

When our server cleared our dishes, she left the chutneys, but while we loved them, we weren’t tempted to use them with any of the other dishes we had — because, well, adding anything would have seemed to mess things up. The largish bowl of lamb korma ($15.95) was a coconut-imbued sauce filled with lots of chunks of moist, tender meat, to be ladled across basmati rice.

The tandoori chicken ($10.95 for a half, which we had, or $18.95 for a whole) was a triumph. Again, we’ve eaten more than our share of tandoori chicken over the years, and this ranks up there with the best, the distinction being the moistness of the meat within the crimson crust. And here’s something else we liked about Indian Curry Bowl: Their "norm" for most dishes is on the mild end of the scale, although they’re willing to spice things up a bit if you’d like. We weren’t in a fire-breathing mood that evening, so we welcomed the fact that the kitchen had imparted vibrant flavors in both the chicken and lamb dishes without taking the easy way out.

Which was the case, as well, with the garlic naan ($2.50). It was great naan — slightly stretchy, with a blistered surface and light interior — and there was no timidity when it came to the garlic, which was used liberally. Which is a good thing.

Heck, even our mango lassi ($3.50) was rich in flavor, the fruit clearly predominant.

Kheer ($4.95) finished things up on a creamy note. The thinnish rice pudding shot through with cardamom and chunks of almonds for lots of texture as well as flavor.

Indian Curry Bowl’s menu notes that it provides some dishes for the hot bar at Whole Foods Markets, and that its chutneys are available there, so you can kind of get the idea without going to the restaurant.

But I’d suggest making a trip. This is one mom-and-pop that’s exceptionally worthy.

Las Vegas Review-Journal reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at 383-0474 or e-mail her at hrinella@ reviewjournal.com.