Jessi’s Indian Kitchen spices up restaurant scene

ALBANY — Like many people, I consider myself a foodie. I love to cook and I’m a lifelong student of the art of blending flavors and techniques and serving the best of what I know to the people I love.

I am also a person who is disappointed when I go out with hopes and expectations of a good meal, just to leave with the thought … “We shoud’ve eaten at home.” I decided to share my dining-out experiences with Herald readers so you can decide whether to spend your hard-earned money at a restaurant or at a grocery store.

I always want to see businesses (especially independently owned businesses), succeed so when I watched cars line up down Gillionville to try Albany’s newest restaurant, Jessi’s Indian Kitchen, I was proud of Albanians for showing their support.

Before I give my 2 cents, I will be up-front and tell you that I have only had Indian food once, and that was more than a decade ago. So I can’t attest to the authenticity of the food … only the flavor.

Here’s what we had:

♦ Paneer Butter Masala

♦ Goat Curry

♦ Lamb Curry

♦ Garlic and Butter Naan Bread

♦ Chicken Masala

♦ Mango Fusion

The base curry sauce at first glance looked a little oily, but when added to the rice, the amount of oil was perfect.

The flavor was delicious. There was plenty of heat from the spices, but just enough to do their job (which is to add flavor) then disappear without leaving a burning sensation behind. The sauce was creamy and thick and perfectly coated each chunk of tender meat with enough left in the dish to sop up with my Naan bread. I’m not sure sopping and Indian food should be in the same sentence, and I was probably supposed to use my Naan as a vessel for the meat and rice, but I’m very Southern and that’s how it went down.

The Paneer Butter Masala was texturally different from the curries but similar in flavor. It was my first time trying this Indian cheese that had a very subtle flavor and is a good option for those who don’t want meat.

I love bread, and this Naan could do know wrong. I could have eaten a stack of it and been completely satisfied.

The Mango fusion is hard to describe. As far as I could tell, it was a cold mango puree with sliced red grapes and sliced bananas mixed in. I’m not a lover of sweets, so I deferred to Carlton. He loved it.

Here are a couple of suggestions. First, if you’re only trying one item, try the lamb curry. Everything was really good, but the cook on the lamb made that dish exceptional. Second, don’t expect oversized portions. Quality, not quantity, is what you’ll get for your money.

Be sure and follow Jessi’s on Facebook for menu changes, and aanand lena.

Staff Photo: Tara FletcherStaff Photo: Tara Fletcher