As a card-carrying carnivore, I'm not the best person to ask where to find good vegetarian meals. That's not a knock on vegetables, which I love. It's a knock on restaurants that don't know how to cook vegetables. At any rate, my go-to answer for vegetarians is to suggest an Indian restaurant. If there is another cuisine that does a better job drawing more flavor out of and providing more satisfaction with vegetables, I have yet to experience it.
You can find good vegetarian dishes at almost every Indian restaurant in the area, and a few, like Gokul Snacks & Sweets, offer only vegetarian dishes.
The wonder of Indian food is that so many different elements can combine together to taste like something else entirely -- something much more than the sum of its parts. So it is with the vegetable korma, a creamy tomato sauce without the acidic bite (or, as you can see, the color) of tomatoes. Cashews and raisins add depth and a mild sweetness to the sauce, yet without the menu's guidance, you might not notice the presence of either.
The vegetables (peas, green beans, lima beans, among others) are just a touch more tender than al dente, retaining enough of their natural flavor to add their individual notes to the sauce. The dish is available à la carte, though I enjoyed it and a tasty tikka masala dish with paneer (homemade cheese) in place of chicken at the $7.99 lunch buffet.
Gokul Snacks & Sweets
10663-B Page Avenue, Overland
314-428-8888
$9.99
I'm counting down -- in no particular order -- 100 of my favorite dishes in St. Louis. Some are well-known, others obscure. Some are expensive, others dirt cheap. All of them, I guarantee, are delicious. Please do not hesitate to share your own favorites via the comments thread.
Previously:
#52: Schnitzel & spaetzle at Iron Barley
#53: Oxtail stew at De Palm Tree
#54: Pho at Pho Long
#55: Gyro at Anthonino's Taverna
#56: The Lemon Drop Cupcake at the Cup
#57: Pupusas at Tres Banderas
#58: Gumbo at the Gumbo Shop
#59: The burger at Newstead Tower Public House
#60: Quesadillas tradicionales at Milagro Modern Mexican
#61: "7th Street Sicilian" Po' Boy at Blues City Deli
#62: Tamales at Taqueria la Pasadita
#63: Ćevapi at Bosna Gold
#64: Lemon meringue and pine nut torte at BitterSweet Bakery
#65: Chile Morita con Puerco at Señor Pique
#66: Soda chanh duong (sparkling lemonade) at Lemon Grass
#67: Nachos grande at Nachomama's
#68: Pizza with pepperoni, sausage and mushroom at Pizza-a-Go-Go
#69: Bill's "Burger Meister Burger" at Cardwell's at the Plaza
#70: Sake (salmon) nigiri sushi at Nobu's Japanese Restaurant
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