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Delhi Heights: Indian cuisine that keeps getting better

Delhi Heights: Indian cuisine that keeps getting better
By Suzanne Parker

I do not often get the opportunity to revisit restaurants once I have written about them. Sadly, many eateries with stellar beginnings, with time start a slow but seemingly irrevocable descent into mediocrity. Delhi Heights, a Jackson Heights Indian eatery, in contrast, I was delighted to discover, is on an upward trajectory since my last visit.

Delhi Heights is a bit more upscale than most of its 74th Street neighbors. Its décor is modern and understated and devoid of kitscherie. Its tariff is correspondingly higher, but justified by the quality of the ingredients used, and the presence of live music on Thursdays through Sundays.

The menu here spans the subcontinent. The kitchen is equally adept with the Punjabi and Kashmiri fare of the north, Goan and vindaloo preparations of the south, and the Indian Chinese hybrid style that has gained so much popularity in recent years. The menu is split roughly 60/40 between Indian and Indian/Chinese (also known as Tangra-style) offerings, and within those categories, equal numbers of vegetarian and non-vegetarian menu items.

The menu here includes a “snack” category, as distinct from “appetizers” which borrows heavily from the street foods of India where they are often referred to as “chaats.” Delhi Ki Samosa chaat is notable among these savory noshes. One of Delhi Height’s samosas, is smothered with chick peas, yogurt, onions, mint, chutney, and those crunchy micro-mini fried noodles called “sev.” The samosas (potato and vegetable-filled pastries) here are exceptionally good in their own right, but this treatment takes it to a new level of bright, harmonious flavors and textures.

Playing fair, I also strongly recommend a starter from the Indian Chinese list. Lollypop Chicken, aka Drums of Heaven, is one of the sure crowd pleasers of that cuisine. The voluptuous version served here is no exception. A quartet of meaty fried chicken wings are glazed with a chili and garlic-rich coating. Heaven indeed for lovers of spice.

Curiosity getting the better of us, I ordered Special Kashmiri Naan instead of my usual plain naan to sop up the various sauces in true Indian style. It was probably the wrong vehicle for the purpose intended. The Kashmiri naan is studded with raisins, laced with cinnamon, and slathered with butter. Picture a Danish that had been steam rolled. Utterly enjoyable, but not neutral enough to be a reliable sauce sponge.

A full bar and wine list add to the upscale ambiance, although we stuck with our Indian food standby libation — Indian beer. For a refreshing non-alcoholic option, consider Nimbi Paani — Indian limeade sweetened with honey.

On the Indian side of the equation, most of the dishes arrive in attractive copper bowls submerged in sauce. Shrimp masala is a tangy preparation of succulent jumbo shrimp. Likewise, Shrimp Goan Curry is a richer, coconut milk base treatment of the same.

It is a rare Indian restaurant that cannot come up with zesty flavorful sauces. The problem at many is that submerged therein is fatty, stringy or grisly meat. This is one of the things that sets Delhi Heights apart from its rivals — the quality of its meat. I have not met a sauce I don’t like here, but better yet, the meat is first rate. Try the Lamb Rogan Josh for a basic clean curry flavor, or the Lamb Sag — lamb in spinach sauce.

Vegetarian opportunities abound here. Methi malai matter, a dish I had never encountered before, won me over with its blend of peas, spinach, and fenugreek leaves — a vegetable usually used as an herb that you don’t encounter every day. It had a creamy curry with some extra indefinable flavor.

We did a little less sampling on the Indian/Chinese side of the equation, but Hakka vegetables was a mélange of chopped vegetables (not easily identifiable) in a rewarding spicy soy infused sauce.

The Bottom Line

Delhi Heights is classy enough for a date, especially on a night featuring live music, yet it’s affordable. There is a daily buffet served from 11:30-4. The kitchen will adjust the relative spiciness of food to reflect individual preferences, and the results are usually on the mark. Delhi Heights has emerged as a star of Jackson Heights’ Little India.

Delhi Heights

37-66 74th St.

Jackson Heights, NY 11372

(718) 507-1111

www.delhiheights.us

Price Range: Apps: $4.95-$16.95, Mains; $9.95-$19.95

Cuisine: Indian & Indian Chinese

Setting: Modern, understated.

Service: Solicitous

Hours: Lunch & Dinner Daily, buffet available 11:30-4

Reservations: Optional

Alcohol: Full Bar

Parking: Street

Dress: Casual

Children: Welcome

Music: Thursdays-Sundays

Takeout: Yes

Credit cards: Yes

Noise level: Acceptable

Handicap accessible: Yes