RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK, BY GAIL GERSON-WITTE OF WINE AND DINE

DINING CRITICS REPORT

Urban Spice
YELP: Urban Spice has real joie de vivre. The prices are fair and above all else - its a differently delicious Indian restaurant with authentic home made cooking & very smooth service. ZAGAT: Absolutely delicious and lovingly prepared food that is a must-try!

DINING CRITICS REPORT

MARALYN HILL
President, Intl Food Wine & Travel Writers Assn. The SEEKH SUBZ LAZEEZ ($6.95), tasty vegetables & cottage cheese, on a skewer are softly seasoned with tempered Cumin Seeds & the PANEER MATHI TIKKI ($6.95), are good starters. Multiple regions of India get menu play here, with a pleasing variety of vegetarian, seafood & meat options, each one better than the next.

BETTY WHITE
Rest. Researcher Soc. Pres. The party room, with a changing multicolored light wall, is dazzling. Tandoori menu selections are tops, with the char-grilled MURGH RESHMI SEEKH ($11.95), as my pick. Love the sweet smelling ground chicken with whole spices, on a skewer, but the buffets, (Lunch Buffet $10.95), with many hot & cold exciting dishes are enchanting ($12.95 on weekends) & maintain high quality.

The atmosphere, food & service, at the fabulous Urban Spice, are all completely in tune, with no jarring notes to interrupt the harmony of fine dining. The restaurant is decorated with modern, flowing lines & rich, sensual colors. The subdued interior, with exquisite chandeliers, shaped like the Middle Eastern, when Moghuls ruled, modern artifacts with traditional touches, gauze drapery partitions, Indian art & light woods, offer a wonderful setting, in which to dine, or have a party. The menu includes an appetizing array of signature regional Indian dishes, but mainly Northern India, as well as vegetarian options. Portions are generous without being grandiose, & attractively eye-catching without becoming eyesores. Proportions, flavors, colors & textures, are all right in sync. CEO Kamal Arora & his lovely wife Kiran, are the parents of 13 yr old Vansh & 11 yr old Sampada. They lived in Delhi & as foodies, wanted to present the colorful, inventive, many cultured cuisine, of India, to the U.S. They arrived here in 2004 & first, as a partner in Moghul Express in 2005, & then in 2006, presented Mithaas Sweets, which, like an Indian
Kamal & wife Kiran Arora in the Manhattan private party room.

The important thing to realize is that it takes a good team to accomplish good things & here they all join to create very memorable dining and party happening and here they all, Carolyn Delafrange, travelingfoodfanatics.com blogger. Starbucks, is just as youll find in India. Also owner of Moghul Caterers, they are known as the Wedding Champions, in the tri-state area. Now Kamal, which means magic, wanted his sophisticated clients, to properly explore their sight, aroma, sound, taste & touch senses in a dazzling restaurant atmosphere. Following Indias rich culture of culinary traditions, he then presented a tasteful, fashionable restaurant, in a stand alone building, with a very picturesque setting. With a late-night cocktail lounge, trendy decor & flawless service, he hired a very knowledgeable staff including the world-renowned Exec. Chef Rajkamal Sahai & directed by Manager Firoz R, Buhariwala. Firoz, has 35 years experience in the industry & trained in France, at the Rooftop in England & Eiffel Tower, is known a leader in this business and has served many Hollywood and Bollywood stars. GAIL SAYS GO!
Manager Firoz

GAIL GERSON -WITTE

Restaurant Writer Known as a pearl in an ocean, where spices are created to enrich you & the only Empire Lassi. The DAL MAKHNI, black lentils & butter & cream ($10.95), are perfect & the JEERA BASMATI RICE, fine grained & flavored with Cumin seeds ($5.95), go well with TANDOORI ROTI ($2.95) & the KEBAB MELONI ($18.95), a fab plate of Tandori Chicken, Shrimp, Seekh Kabab, Fish & Malai Kebab.

BUFFET LUNCHEON BUFFET LUNCHEON Mon-Fri, $10.95, Mon-Fri, $10.95, 11:30-2:30 11:30-2:30

GRAND BUFFET GRAND BUFFET Sat-Sun,$12.95, Sat-Sun,$12.95, 11:30-3:30 11:30-3:30

IVY WINTERS
NYC Dining & Travel Writer As a seafood lover I picked the JHINGA MASALA ($18.95), as my recommendation. The jumbo shrimp in a sumptuous gravy, were flavored with Fenugreek leaves and the chefs own herb & spices. Breads are exquisite especially the PUDINA PARATHA ($3.95), a whole wheat bread adorned with Coriander Leaves & fresh Mint.This goes well with the FISH MALABAR CURRY ($17.95).

INNOVATIVE REGIONAL INDIAN CUISINE

42 Marconi Ave, Iselin, NJ 08830 (732) 283-1043 www.urbanspice.com

DR. MARVIN MANSKY

The NYC Dining Doctor Everything from THE GARLIC & ONION NAAN BREADS ($3.95), to the wonderful MURG KI CHAAMP ($13.95), is made in house in a special clay oven & fresh daily & I could taste the difference. The bar is stylish & a true hot spot in the area & desserts like the signature item ORANGE KULFI ($5.95), homemade Ice Cream & nuts in an actual Orange Shell, are magnificent.

can be adjusted to your preferences & are specially designed for each dish;

Open 7 Days lunch & dinner, Mon-Wed & Fri 11:30am-2:30pm, Mon-Wed 5:30-10pm, Thu 11:30am-2:30am, Fri 5:30-10:30pm, Sat-Sun 11:30am-10:30pm. Seating 132; Private Party Manhattan Room-seats 32; Sat-Sun Brunch; Credit Cards: All Major; Parking in private parking lot: Moderate Prices; Good for Groups; Accomodates Children; Reservations Accepted; Take-out a party; Full Bar; Wheelchair Access; Near Rt 27 & GSP Exit 131; Gift Cert; All spices Chinese-Northern & South Indian Party Trays; Call Catering Office at 1655-170 Oak Tree Rd., Edison NJ 08820, 732-5497976, www.moghulcatering.com; Mithaas Sweets, 1655-170 Oak Tree Rd, Edison NJ, 732-947-3014, www.mithaasusa.com; Moghul Express,1670-A Oak Tree Rd, Edison NJ, 732-549-6222.

KEVIN MCALLION
Restaurant Researcher Soc. Ive just found a beautiful passage to Indian food. A luscious well-made vegetarian appetizer, was the ALOO PAPRI CHAAT ($4.95), a tasty & crisp, whole flour delicacy, mixed with yogurt, potatoes chickpeas & a great sauce. I loved the FISH TIKKA ($17,95), Salmon cubes in a Yogurt Sauce, that had pleasing spices blended. Firoz special EMPIRE LASSI was a winner, as was the RICE KHEER Basmatic Rice combo dessert ($4.95)

CHEF RAJKAMAL SAHAI is a trendsetter & encompasses a variety of regional cuisines making use of local spices, herbs, vegetables & fruits & cultural habits, in his extraordinary cookery. His sophisticated use of spices & herbs & the blend of many cultural regions are presented, in a chic, tasteful way, in all of their finery. Once you dine, you will be planning your return. Charlie Horner, Press Research Editor-Writer (top left).

TO RECOMMEND A RESTAURANT FOR GAIL AND THE RESEARCHERS TO REVIEW, CALL GAIL GERSON-WITTE AT 732-758-0888 OR E-MAIL TO: WINEANDDINE10@AOL.COM. VISIT MY BLOG: WWW.WINEDINEANDLEISURETIME.COM.