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LTHNLG - Hyderabad House - 3/2 - 11:30am

LTHNLG - Hyderabad House - 3/2 - 11:30am
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  • LTHNLG - Hyderabad House - 3/2 - 11:30am

    Post #1 - February 14th, 2022, 2:49 pm
    Post #1 - February 14th, 2022, 2:49 pm Post #1 - February 14th, 2022, 2:49 pm
    Hyderabad House gets some LTH Love Treatment here -https://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=45076

    A little bird told me we should check it out. Please join me on March 2nd. As always, bring a friend.

    Nawabi Hyderabad House - Biryani Place
    228 McHenry Rd.
    Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
    (847) 520-5569
    http://www.hhbuffalogrove.com/

    Dave148 - Esteemed Coordinator - LTH North Lunch Group
    Cathy2
    Cynthia = Ordering Guru
    lougord99
    Last edited by Dave148 on March 1st, 2022, 3:41 pm, edited 8 times in total.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #2 - February 14th, 2022, 5:03 pm
    Post #2 - February 14th, 2022, 5:03 pm Post #2 - February 14th, 2022, 5:03 pm
    Yes!
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #3 - February 14th, 2022, 5:44 pm
    Post #3 - February 14th, 2022, 5:44 pm Post #3 - February 14th, 2022, 5:44 pm
    Yes, it's in my schedule. I would hope Cynthia joins us as she found the place for LTH in the original thread.

    Is there a lunch buffet, or is it order from menu? Pros & cons to both.
  • Post #4 - February 14th, 2022, 5:47 pm
    Post #4 - February 14th, 2022, 5:47 pm Post #4 - February 14th, 2022, 5:47 pm
    jnm123 wrote:Yes, it's in my schedule. I would hope Cynthia joins us as she found the place for LTH in the original thread.

    Is there a lunch buffet, or is it order from menu? Pros & cons to both.

    No buffet.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #5 - February 14th, 2022, 10:05 pm
    Post #5 - February 14th, 2022, 10:05 pm Post #5 - February 14th, 2022, 10:05 pm
    I'm confused about two things. First, why do you say no lunch buffet? Their website says "All 7 Day Lunch Buffet." Second, why this Indian restaurant? It appears to have the worst reviews of any of the dozen or more in the area. I did like the Curry House when it was in that location.
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #6 - February 14th, 2022, 11:04 pm
    Post #6 - February 14th, 2022, 11:04 pm Post #6 - February 14th, 2022, 11:04 pm
    Looking forward to joining you.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #7 - February 15th, 2022, 4:13 am
    Post #7 - February 15th, 2022, 4:13 am Post #7 - February 15th, 2022, 4:13 am
    Katie wrote:I'm confused about two things. First, why do you say no lunch buffet? Their website says "All 7 Day Lunch Buffet." Second, why this Indian restaurant? It appears to have the worst reviews of any of the dozen or more in the area. I did like the Curry House when it was in that location.

    Why, because it was a surprise (to me) this Devon Avenue stalwart is now in the suburbs. I rewoke this when I commented on seeing it on Lake-Cook Road when travelling west. I have been taking Deerfield Road/Parkway far more often, so Lake-Cook had a fresh look to me.

    Hyderbad House on Devon has two locations across the street from each other. The larger location on the south side of the street, is the nitty gritty (well, sort of cleaned up) location favored by taxi drivers. They have a family style, more friendly to women, across the street. I always eaten at the taxi driver location. Since the family friendly location opened, they have suggested I go across the street.

    When we are at this suburban Hyderbad House, though I guess we will not see you, I will be interested in how they will work over Ramadan. I doubt they will be open for suhoor, the breakfast before nautical dawn. I expect they may be a location for Muslims to break the fast.

    If you are following the reviews, is that yelp or someplace else? Some people have suggested to bypass the written review and look at the pictures instead at yelp's written words.

    Perhaps this location is better than you think, but how do you know until you go? Somebody has to take one for the team, that they survived these last two years is meaningful.

    Regards,
    CAthy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #8 - February 15th, 2022, 5:43 am
    Post #8 - February 15th, 2022, 5:43 am Post #8 - February 15th, 2022, 5:43 am
    Katie wrote:I'm confused about two things. First, why do you say no lunch buffet? Their website says "All 7 Day Lunch Buffet." Second, why this Indian restaurant? It appears to have the worst reviews of any of the dozen or more in the area. I did like the Curry House when it was in that location.

    I called the restaurant. Despite what the website says, there’s no buffet.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #9 - February 15th, 2022, 6:48 am
    Post #9 - February 15th, 2022, 6:48 am Post #9 - February 15th, 2022, 6:48 am
    Cathy2 wrote:
    Katie wrote:Second, why this Indian restaurant? It appears to have the worst reviews of any of the dozen or more in the area. I did like the Curry House when it was in that location.

    Why, because it was a surprise (to me) this Devon Avenue stalwart is now in the suburbs. I rewoke this when I commented on seeing it on Lake-Cook Road when travelling west. I have been taking Deerfield Road/Parkway far more often, so Lake-Cook had a fresh look to me.

    Hyderbad House on Devon has two locations across the street from each other. The larger location on the south side of the street, is the nitty gritty (well, sort of cleaned up) location favored by taxi drivers. They have a family style, more friendly to women, across the street. I always eaten at the taxi driver location. Since the family friendly location opened, they have suggested I go across the street.

    I don't think there's any connection between the Hyderabad House(s) on Devon and Nawabi Hyderabad House Biryani Place in Buffalo Grove and other suburbs. The latter is a chain with franchises in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin (and "More Location on their way"). I think all take their name from Hyderabad House in New Delhi, a former palace now used for state banquets and meetings.
  • Post #10 - February 15th, 2022, 9:46 am
    Post #10 - February 15th, 2022, 9:46 am Post #10 - February 15th, 2022, 9:46 am
    There you go, always something new to learn around here.

    If you saw the signs on Lake-Cook Road, it simply states, 'Hyderbad House.'

    Thanks, Rene G!

    Regards,
    CAthy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #11 - February 15th, 2022, 1:02 pm
    Post #11 - February 15th, 2022, 1:02 pm Post #11 - February 15th, 2022, 1:02 pm
    And who knows -- as often as this location has changed hands, maybe the added "Nawabi" signals new ownership yet again. And perhaps it made it because there aren't a lot of Indian places that focus on Southern Indian cuisine.

    I don't remember it ever being Curry House, though perhaps that predated my visiting -- it was India House when I first visited in 2003--date only remembered because I was writing an article for North Shore Magazine -- and then Mango Leaf. I suspect having a row of tandoor ovens limits who you can sell a place to.

    Well, even if the place isn't as wonderful as it once was, the company will certainly make it pleasant. And hope the food is passable.

    And thanks for the history, ReneG -- must be counting on transplanted Indians knowing that and considering it auspicious.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #12 - February 15th, 2022, 1:04 pm
    Post #12 - February 15th, 2022, 1:04 pm Post #12 - February 15th, 2022, 1:04 pm
    I will be out of town. Have fun.

    -Will
  • Post #13 - February 15th, 2022, 4:05 pm
    Post #13 - February 15th, 2022, 4:05 pm Post #13 - February 15th, 2022, 4:05 pm
    Sorry, you are right, Cynthia; I meant India House. Had my wires crossed with Curry Hut (now Himalaya Sherpa Kitchen) in Highwood.
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #14 - February 16th, 2022, 3:35 pm
    Post #14 - February 16th, 2022, 3:35 pm Post #14 - February 16th, 2022, 3:35 pm
    Katie wrote:Sorry, you are right, Cynthia; I meant India House. Had my wires crossed with Curry Hut (now Himalaya Sherpa Kitchen) in Highwood.


    Glad to know I didn't miss anything. :) Yes -- Indian House was good, but very northern India. Now I can't vouch for what we'll encounter on 3/2, as I haven't been to this place for more than two years now -- but when I was there before the pandemic, it was fun to encounter dishes I knew from my travels in southern India.

    And speaking of Himalaya -- has Himalayan in Niles made it through? Loved their momos.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #15 - February 16th, 2022, 5:02 pm
    Post #15 - February 16th, 2022, 5:02 pm Post #15 - February 16th, 2022, 5:02 pm
    This thread certainly is lively and informative. As an LTH North minion, it's my duty to foment a little rebellion from time to time. ¡Viva la revolución!

    If there is a thread on Hyderabad House on Devon, my next question belongs there, not here, but I would like to hear more, Cathy, about this:

    Cathy2 wrote:Hyderbad House on Devon has two locations across the street from each other. The larger location on the south side of the street, is the nitty gritty (well, sort of cleaned up) location favored by taxi drivers. They have a family style, more friendly to women, across the street. I always eaten at the taxi driver location. Since the family friendly location opened, they have suggested I go across the street.

    I understand "family style" if you mean shared dishes, e.g., Maggiano's, but what does "more friendly to women" mean? My only guess is ... a nicer bathroom? Or do they just have ways (such as telling them to go across the street) to make women feel less welcome at the taxi driver location?
    Last edited by Katie on February 16th, 2022, 8:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #16 - February 16th, 2022, 5:42 pm
    Post #16 - February 16th, 2022, 5:42 pm Post #16 - February 16th, 2022, 5:42 pm
    Hi,

    Many years ago, perhaps when I was on Chowhound, I suggested going out to dinner with my sister. An event I documented and could not find just now, so here is briefly what happened:

    We drove to the Indo-Pakistan taxi hangout that later was the original location of Big & Littles on Orleans. It had seating for maybe 12 people, though most people took their food and left.

    I walked in with my sister and took a seat at a booth. Practically every taxi driver who walked in was visibly startled by our presence, then would stare at us as if we had two heads. In this hyper friendly atmosphere, we ordered and ate our dinner. I am sure they were glad when we left.

    Flash forward to a sahoor breakfast during Ramadan not too many years ago. Every time I visited this taxi driver hang out, I was the only female. When I returned with a female friend who is Muslim, the waiter suggest we leave. We did, though when we wanted to.

    The taxi driver hang out Hyderabad House on the south side of the street on Devon is a male enclave. It is preferred women go across the street to the other location. I have never been across the street, plus it has been a few years since I went there.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #17 - February 16th, 2022, 8:53 pm
    Post #17 - February 16th, 2022, 8:53 pm Post #17 - February 16th, 2022, 8:53 pm
    I haven't had that particular experience, but I do seem to show up at Sabri Nihari on Devon during Ramadan. Fortunately, I was there early in the day, with groups ranging from me and one friend to me and a dozen other women -- fortunate because the crowd doesn't arrive until sunset. But I had to smile as I was leaving last time, as all the waiters were lined up near the door waiting for the stampede. (Nihari, the namesake dish of the restaurant, is, I have been told, a favorite way of breaking one's fast.) But more of a family restaurant, so not the disapproval you met -- but then we did leave in time.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #18 - February 17th, 2022, 8:48 am
    Post #18 - February 17th, 2022, 8:48 am Post #18 - February 17th, 2022, 8:48 am
    I am glad Cynthia will be with us at this lunch. Usually, I eschew buffets, thinking that anything just sitting there in a steam pan for hours does not hold a Sterno can in comparison to a dish freshly prepared.

    But the more one delves into Indian cuisine, the less one knows it seems. That's why in the past I haven't minded an Indian buffet to try out a wide variety of dishes. My issues deal with the spicings--not hot or mild, not my favorite Indian spice garam masala, but other herbs that are somewhat foreign to my tongue. At one LTH lunch at a Vernon Hills eatery a couple years ago, I saw 'horse gram' in the description. I looked it up and it is nothing more than ground-up lentils, but to my palate it tasted like...dirt.

    So, I will defer to Cynthia in the ordering process. Should be fun!
    Last edited by jnm123 on February 19th, 2022, 7:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #19 - February 17th, 2022, 12:00 pm
    Post #19 - February 17th, 2022, 12:00 pm Post #19 - February 17th, 2022, 12:00 pm
    jnm123 wrote:
    But the more one delves into Indian cuisine, the less one knows it seems. That's why in the past I haven't minded an Indian buffet to try out a wide variety of dishes. Should be fun!


    It's the perfect way to explore a new cuisine. Plus, for what it's worth, "a wide variety of dishes" is a very Indian approach to dining. That's why a lot of Indian restaurants offer multi-dish items on their menus -- because if you were at a fancy dinner in India, there would be half a dozen items on your plate (or, in southern India, possibly on your banana leaf) -- and because of this, even in India, buffets are fairly common.

    Another thing that makes Indian food complicated is that, up until 1947, India was made up of dozens of kingdoms and states -- reflected in the fact that there are currently 197 official languages. And then there's Goa, which remained Portuguese for another 14 years after the British left the rest of India. (Because the British didn't make all those kingdoms go away -- the king of Kerala was king until independence.) Throw in the fact that southern India is a completely different ethnicity, Dravidian, vs. northern India, which was conquered by the Indo-Aryans and Mughals that swept in from the north (introducing the tandoor, pilaf, naan, and a lot of other "classic" Indian items), and the food gets complex. So no shame in wanting a little help with all this -- and personally, I love the opportunity to try different items on a buffet. There are so many dishes -- all kind of loosely held together by ayurvedic ideas of balancing spices and flavors -- that I wonder if anyone can truly be said to "know" Indian food.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #20 - February 17th, 2022, 3:06 pm
    Post #20 - February 17th, 2022, 3:06 pm Post #20 - February 17th, 2022, 3:06 pm
    Blocking out the time on my calendar, I'm in (maybe Sue too)
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #21 - February 17th, 2022, 5:00 pm
    Post #21 - February 17th, 2022, 5:00 pm Post #21 - February 17th, 2022, 5:00 pm
    If I can locate it, I can bring Colleen Sen's book on ordering Indian food. It is designed to get non-Indians off the beaten track to better food.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #22 - March 1st, 2022, 9:59 am
    Post #22 - March 1st, 2022, 9:59 am Post #22 - March 1st, 2022, 9:59 am
    Just got double-booked, and Sue isn't feeling well. We're out.
    Hopefully next lunch.
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #23 - March 1st, 2022, 1:30 pm
    Post #23 - March 1st, 2022, 1:30 pm Post #23 - March 1st, 2022, 1:30 pm
    If its not to late, I would like to join you TOMORROW.
  • Post #24 - March 1st, 2022, 1:40 pm
    Post #24 - March 1st, 2022, 1:40 pm Post #24 - March 1st, 2022, 1:40 pm
    lougord99 wrote:If its not to late, I would like to join you TOMORROW.

    You’re IN!
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #25 - March 1st, 2022, 8:39 pm
    Post #25 - March 1st, 2022, 8:39 pm Post #25 - March 1st, 2022, 8:39 pm
    Hi,

    I will likely come with Mom.

    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #26 - March 2nd, 2022, 6:35 pm
    Post #26 - March 2nd, 2022, 6:35 pm Post #26 - March 2nd, 2022, 6:35 pm
    As always, enjoyed the company. We were all a bit disappointed (though not surprised) that they didn't have their buffet available. I was a little sad to see the place nearly empty--though there was one large group of Indians. (We were the only non-Indians in the place.) I was happy to have a few newbies enjoy their first dosas. These are not "wow" dishes, as far as flavor, but these giant "crepes" made with fermented rice and lentil batter are unusual, very representative of southern Indian cooking, and surprising if for nothing else because of their size.

    My single favorite thing was the corn vepudu -- a crunchy, flavorful vegetarian appetizer that I can see stopping and picking up when I'm driving by. (This is not the baby corn Manchurian, which is "Chinese Indian," which, like Chinese American, is its own well-established category. Might be fine, but the vepudu is what made me happy.) Also enjoyed very much the aloo gobi -- cauliflower and potato dish. Kadai chicken was also very tasty. The stuffed eggplant was good but a bit on the spicy side (but, since it didn't have a chili next to it on the menu, must not have been as spicy as the stuff they warn you about).

    Bottled water is served with meals -- which is actually very authentic -- in India, most meals are served with water -- masala chai is for an afternoon treat.

    Glad I could make it. Always fun to gather with other LTHers.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com

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