And if you’re going to San Francisco, forget the flowers but be sure to stop by Rotee for some Indian/Pakistani grub. A work-trip has us up near the Golden Gate this week, unfortunately most of our time is spent at the Burlingame Marriot by the airport, but after a shuttle back to the airport and a long BART ride into the city, we still had a good time tonight.

We found ourselves back on Haight for a second night in a row, and for another consecutive night of Indian food. Last night we dined at Raja, which wasn’t terrible, but wasn’t great either. The place was dead, and the service was excruciating slow anyway. I’m told they do a pretty good lunch buffet, but they’re also really busy on the take-out side (look them up and read some of the reviews from pissed-off people still waiting for their food). The masala cream/sauce was too watery, and we just didn’t feel satisfied, so tonight we decided not to give up until we got the fix. We almost went to a place around the corner called the Indian Oven, a local favorite that’s both more pricey and crowded, but we were assured that Rotee would do the mouth, tongue, and wallet justice.

I held back (actually, my girlfriend slapped my hand) from grabbing the naan, which was slightly crispy and thin (but not like a tortilla) while being a little sweet and doughy (but not like a chewy pita). The one serving of rice, as you can see, was plenty for the both of us, and most important, everything came out hot and fresh.

I’m a big fan of curry in almost any style, from Jamaican to Thai, I dig it, and I was craving it so that was one of our entrees. I ordered the Curry Grant, so the lady would still kiss me (maybe?), but looking at the menu again I see that the Aloo Gosht looks yummy too. While there were bones to deal with, the meat was clean and tender, and the sauce had a unique balance of turmeric, garlic, chili, and ginger, that stayed on my mind even after I brushed my teeth.





Then there was Rotee’s chicken tikka masala, which is probably the cornerstone of the menu. This was nothing like last night’s masala, when you picked out your chicken it was bathed in a dreamy and creamy tomato sauce that paves your tongue like the road to nirvana. Can you see the joy in that masala?

I can’t wait to come back and do SF proper, maybe even try out the Indian Oven, if there’s some fancy line outside, I could definitely see us walking back to delicious comfort of Rotee.

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