Star of India

It was date night again last night, and after consulting our book o' buy-one-get-ones, and craving flavor, we agreed on Star of India. We've eaten there a few times before and really liked it. This time we decided to go with one tried-and-true dish and one gamble. Our tried and true: Shrimp Coconut Korma. Our gamble: Boti Kabob Masala (with lamb). My oh my! They were both so delicious! It was one of those great meals that hit the spot dead on. The right amount, the best flavors, MMMwah! For starters, they give you a cool Indian version of chips and salsa - these thin wafers with two dipping sauces, purple sweet and green spicy. (I apologize for my white-bread descriptions!) The service is friendly and prompt. The atmosphere is pretty good, better on one side (gold bricks) than the other (green paint.) Maybe they could curtain off the lunch buffet serving area at dinner time? The nan is sooo good. We always order rice and nan - one or the other comes with your meal. So we do pay a little extra to have both. (Course, with a 2 for 1 coupon, it's a great deal!) Other good bets: Chicken Shahi Korma and Lamb Saagwala. We left very happy.

55 East 400 South Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Telephone: (801) 363-7555

Validated parking behind the restaurant or across the street.

http://www.starofindiaonline.com/index.html

Settebello - Authentic Napoletana Pizza

A few friends and family members had recommended this place, and it was named Best New Restaurant in the Salt Lake City Magazine's 2008 Dining Awards, so we decided it was time we went. The restaurant was busy at lunch time, and not very large, which was actually comforting when I thought of the food preparation - more care, less assembly line. We each ordered our own pizzas - which was plenty of food, as you'd suspect, but not as big as you might think, because the crust is very thin. Settebello boasts certification from Vera Pizza Napoletana, one of 16 members in the United States. I hear they import their flour. So we ordered the Quattro Stagioni and the Diavola, which is spicy. The first bite was moan-worthy. The crust, we both commented reminded us of Indian naan bread - which in our books is a very, very good thing. The pizzas are topped with basil and fresh mozzarella. The sausage or pepperoni or whatever - was delicious. The spicy pizza was really great, too - in fact, I think we liked it better. We were pretty full by the time we were done. But we still made room for some hazelnut gelato - yum - that we ate as we walked a few blocks back to work. So it was very good. We did come to the conclusion, however, that for the money, we'd probably go somewhere else next time - or split a pizza as a snack. But it's great to try it just to get a taste of a real Napoletana pizza. If the best pizza is made in Italy, and the best pizza in Italy is made in Napoli, then well, if authentic pizza is important to you and you can't make the trip overseas, go to Settebello.

Dinner/Lunch for two is about $30.

Located at 260 South 200 West Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Phone 801.322.3556
http://www.settebello.net/