Memsahib
At Memsahib you do not select from a menu. Instead you have two different options, depending on whether you are dining in for lunch or dinner. Lunch is served buffet-style from11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. Dinner, which is served Tuesdays through Sundays from 6 p.m. through 11 p.m., is a prixe-fixe six-course meal complete with a Bollywood-style floor show and a belly dancer. You will be able to choose one of three salads (eggplant in tomato sauce, cucumbers and bell peppers in cumin dressing or carrots in coriander dressing), a first main course of tandoori chicken or vegetable samosa, a second main course of makhni (spicy butter) chicken, punjabi-style lamb curry or malai kofta (vegetarian version of meatballs), and a third main course of chicken shish kebab with mango chutney or a vegetarian paneer (cottage cheese) kebab. The other two courses consist of fresh fruits and a daily dessert special served with hot masala tea. A full bar is also available, with beer, wine and cocktails. The restaurant is often used to host private parties, so be sure to call ahead for a reservation.
4840 Boiling Brook Parkway
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 468-0098
http://www.memsahibrestaurant.com
India Grill
India Grill has been in operation in Rockville since 1990, although it moved to its present location in 2003. Owner Kiran Mehta has chosen to specialize in the cuisine of Northern India (including Punjabi and Mughlai), and his efforts have met with great success, receiving praise from newspapers including the Washington Post, the Gazzette and the Montgomery Journal, as well as from the dining guide ChefMoz and the D.C. Foodies blog. Appetizers include both meat and vegetarian samosas and pakoras, and all of the soups are vegetarian. Meat dishes feature lamb, chicken and seafood prepared in vindaloo, curry, korma and other styles with varying degrees of heat as per your request. A lengthy list of vegetarian specialties is also available, including mattar paneer (chunks of cheese and green peas cooked in a spicy sauce), bhindi masalaI (baby okra, onions and tomatoes) and dall tadka (yellow lentils, flavored with ginger and other spices and sautéed in butter). Tandoori items include lamb, fish, shrimp, chicken and paneer (cheese). If you order something especially spicy, you may wish to cool down with a refreshing yogurt-based lassi, available in sweet, salted, rose or mango-flavored varieties. Juices (including mango and guava), sodas, hot tea, iced tea, coffee, wine and beer are also available, including India's own Taj Mahal lager.
785 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 279-7700
http://www.indiagrillonline.com
Bombay Bistro
Bombay Bistro opened its first location in Rockville in 1991, and this restaurant was so successful that the owners soon opened up a second location in Fairfax, Virginia. In addition to receiving awards and accolades from Washingtonian Magazine, the Washington Post and the Zagat Survey, Bombay Bistro has also hosted celebrity diners for a number of ambassadors and foreign ministers as well as for former Secretary of State Madeline Albright. Despite such distinctions, Bombay Bistro still serves food that is very moderately priced. Even non-expense account diners can easily fill up on tasty dishes including the house specialty of Bombay Thali (either the vegetarian platter with lentils, raita, rice pilaf, puri and three different freshly cooked vegetables or the non-vegetarian version with chicken curry, lamb curry,lentils,raita,rice pilaf, puri and one vegetable). Biryani rice dishes include shrimp, lamb, chicken and vegetable varieties, and a vegetarian tandoori paneer-stuffed bell pepper and tomato dish is offered in addition to tandoori chicken and ground beef selections. Curries include lamb, chicken, fish and goat, and the menu offers several South Indian dosas and oothappams (crepes and pancakes stuffed with savory vegetable or chicken mixtures). Bombay Bistro even offers a short kids' menu with chicken and vegetarian choices, and a dessert menu featuring Indian standbys gulab jamun and kulfi (Indian ice cream) as well as the less-familiar rasmalai (cheese patties soaked in cardamom-flavored milk, sprinkled with chopped nuts) and the Bombay favorite shreekand (saffron-flavored yogurt sprinkled with chopped pistachios). If you're really hungry, or you'd like to sample a bit of everything, a good bet is to hit the all-you-can eat lunch buffet served from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
98 West Montgomery Avenue
Rockville, MD 20850
(301)762-8798
http://www.bombaybistro.com
