Review of India House Restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico

There is something exotic and sexy about Indian food, not only because of its broad range of flavors and textures, but because it is a cuisine that refuses to be completely Americanized. Rest assured, the minute I see Tandoori McChicken at the drive-through, I'm heading for the Ganges with an open throttle. In the meantime, I rely on a few local Indian restaurants for authentic Indian cuisine.

India House, the only southside Indian restaurant in Santa Fe, proved to be a challenge in terms of both food and service. The atmosphere is authentic enough, even for a Cerrillos Road property, but the sticky tabletops and dust reveal a certain lack of attention to detail. Our liter-sized Taj Mahal beer arrived a bit warm and tasted of moldy cork. Upon closer inspection, we realized the beer was over a year old. I have enjoyed this beer before, but, in this case, it was well past its prime - even for a lager. While our server noticed our reaction to the beer, he seemed too busy with friends at an adjacent table to correct the situation.

The gratis crisp chickpea crackers with sweet tamarind sauce and spicy mintdip tasted a bit sour, but we agreed that the off-tasting beer could have affected our palates. Our vegetable pakoras (light fritters in garbanzo-bean batter) were rather tasteless- thank goodness for the tamarind sauce. The fried paneer pakoras (farmers-cheese fingerlings stuffed with mint and other spices and coated in garbanzo-bean flour) fared better. The cheese had a firm, tofulike texture, and the flavors were simple but elegant. The tandoori chicken (cooked in a traditional tandoor, or clay oven) consisted of an emaciated, dry leg and thigh served a la carte. I have enjoyed this dish at India House in the past and hope that this serving was just an aberration.

The vegetable dinner was a wonderfully hot and succulent dish, a veritable mishmash of meatless items found on the menu: sag paneer (creamy spinach and farmers cheese), vegetable fritters, dal makhani (creamy, spiced lentils), malai hofta (vegetable and cheese balls ' in a smooth, delicate curry), and saffron rice with peas - all well prepared. An order of tandoori-baked Kashmiri naan (leavened, baked flatbread stuffed with pistachios, raisins, cherries, and honey) made for good scoops and helped undercut the spice a bit. There are slim pickings for dessert at India House, and the mango custard is a good indication that sweets are not this establishment's forte.

India House is located at 2501 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, 471-2651. A lunch buffet is available from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. daily; Dinner from 5-10 p.m. nightly.