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Indian fare worthy of an Oscar
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, February 16, 2009
Odds are that “Slumdog Millionaire,” with 10 Oscar nominations, including best picture, will take home at least a few statues Sunday night. If you’re looking to celebrate Mumbai-style (or just dig into some great Indian food, whatever the city or region), get your garam masala game on and head for these restaurants. …
Best picture: MGR Palace 
1825-14A Rockbridge Road, Stone Mountain. 770-413-1415
Becky Stein/AJC special
Rava masala is one of the treats from the griddle at MGR Palace in Stone Mountain, known for its dosai, or South Indian pancakes.
No one griddles dosai better than Nanjunda Ram at MGR Palace. But there’s more to this palace than South Indian pancakes. Medhu vadai is a favorite — a crispy doughnut-like goodie made of white lentil and studded with bits of black peppercorns and ginger. Or try tiny pani puri (little crispy crunchy puffs) and fill them with an array of potatoes, chickpeas and tamarind chutney before popping them in your mouth. Bhel puri (a Mumbai street food) is puffed rice, bits of chickpea flour noodles, cilantro, onions and potatoes mixed up big time with a heap of spicy chutney. There’s thali, too, with incredible dal curries, rice, raita and rice kheer, a favorite sweet dish that’s sort of like a runny rice pudding chock-full of raisins and laced with warming cardamom.
Art direction: Royal Sweets not rated
1766 Lawrenceville Highway, Decatur. 404-327-5799
This Indian sweet and savory-to-go shop wedged between closed car dealerships on Lawrenceville Highway is legend to those who love their laddu (a chickpea ball flavored with almonds and cardamom) and samosa (a fried pastry shell filled with peas, potatoes and spices). There’s barfi (milk fudge) and bags of namkeen, savory snacks such as roasted cashews with black salt or boondi (wheat puffs), as well as a variety of chaat (think Indian appetizer assortment). And the syrup-soaked gulab jamin here is splendidly delicate when you can get it hot.
Best actor: Vatica Indian Vegetarian Cuisine
1475 Terrell Mill Road S.E., Marietta. 770-955-3740, www.vaticavegetarian.com
A platter of food centered on rice and bread surrounded by savory pots of goodies to dip and sup: This is thali, and Vatica serves it up by the loving spoonful. Don’t look for a menu — one day it may be green peppers and potatoes with dal and yogurt curry; the next may be okra and eggplant. …
Best supporting actress: Aja 
3500 Lenox Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-231-0001, www.h2sr.com.
Here we are, under the Big Top again with restaurateur and showman Tom Catherall of Here to Serve Restaurants, who’s brought Atlanta its very own upscale Asian venue in the space that was once Emeril’s. Aja’s menu is all over Asia, but pastry chef Arpana Satyu focuses on a fashionably sweet display. Get a close-up of a dish of sweet paneer, pressed into tiny patties, in milk laced with cardamom and dotted with pistachios. Each of the cheeses is crowned with a grapefruit-and-rosewater sorbet.
Short film (live action): Udipi Cafe not rated
1850 Lawrenceville Highway, Suite 700, Decatur. 404-325-1933
Short on ambience, long on flavor, this longtime neighborhood fave has the South Indian veggie cuisine category all sewn up, from samosas to dosai, and all the classics such as paneer pakora, mutter paneer and curries.
