Sitar

Shadow Of The Fox · Post by **Shadow Of The Fox** » Tue May 30, 2006 10:50 pm

So, I keep hearing about this place, from my dad. Two of his co-workers are Indian, and vegetarian at that. To me, that seems to show that they know where good food is, cause good vegetarian=good for both meat-eaters & nons alike. Still, I'd like to be sure on this, and see if anyone on here has ever tried them.

karlaBOO · Post by **karlaBOO** » Tue May 30, 2006 11:07 pm

WE LOVE SITAR. Really, it IS that good.

When you are in an Indian restaurant, and Indian families are coming to eat there, that's a really good sign.

Post by **DarkVader** » Wed May 31, 2006 12:06 am

hmm...

I'm surprised nobody has reviewed Sitar here before.

I'll make it short.

Best food in Knoxville. Eat there.

iblis · Post by **iblis** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:50 pm

if you haven't tried sitars, you need to. right this fricken instant. go on. we'll wait.

seriously, between the dine-in and take-out, it's the best grub in knoxville. even better than krystal's.

Hardcoregirl · Post by **Hardcoregirl** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:43 am

I just moved within a few miles of there.

(I'm listing all the perks of my move and am making you all privy to the info) lol

I'm not big on injun but its pretty tastified.

Francesca · Post by **Francesca** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:48 am

Oh, Gawd I can't stand it... I should have known better than to read this section when I'm hungry.

I'm going to lunch at 1PM and eating there today..

(growl, growl, growl.....)

Francesca

karlaBOO · Post by **karlaBOO** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:51 am

Francesca wrote:Oh, Gawd I can't stand it... I should have known better than to read this section when I'm hungry.

I'm going to lunch at 1PM and eating there today..

(growl, growl, growl.....)

Francesca

Let us know what you got. I'm having a sammich for lunch.

Francesca · Post by **Francesca** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:01 am

N-kay. will do.

Francesca · Post by **Francesca** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:51 pm

WOW.

I just had the lunch buffet and sweet tea which came to $9 (tax included)

I had:

Vegatable Marsala
---very tasty - had a very very slight burn to it after a while. Had a reddish sauce.

Chicken Curry
---not as creamy as some I've had but excellent with a reddish orange sauce -- the chicken was very succulent. Both the vegtable marsala and the chicken curry has lots of sauce which was great with the rice and Naan.

Spinach with chick peas- very smooth and creamy.

Black Bean Something or Other
---I forgot to write the name of down that got absorbed into the other dishes so I did not get a sense of a separate flavor.

Potatoes with Zucchini
---The potatoes were completely cooked and had absorbed a lot of the sauce wich gave them an excellent flavor. the zucchini was completly cooked as well. It was some sort of reddish sauce. This was my favorite dish.

Vegtable Fritters
---Not sure what vegetables were in there - they diced some stuff up but they were very savory.

Salad
---Iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers pre-tossed in a light cream dressing. Tomatoes and cukes were fresh and a nice cool contrast to the spicy food.

Naan
--puffy, warm, buttery, not burnt.

Cubed Watermelon
--not the freshest or sweetest I've had but that is more due to the time of year...

Carrot Pudding
--This was really interesting...it was like a fine slaw in texture, it was warm, had cachews? and white rasins and appeared to be cooked in honey. It was incredibly good. I didn't expect it to be but it was.

Many of the dishes has a lot of fat in them which gave them a good mouth feel and probably why they tasted so darn good.

Sorry I'm not more up on the ingredients and spices, if it were italian food I'd be more knowledgable.

Oh, one other comment - they really need to clean off the chair rail and the wallpaper that is at eye level. It's filthy. Better yet, change out the hideous floral stripe wallpaper... it overwhelms the cool indian artwork.

Francesca

Asher · Post by **Asher** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 7:44 am

i think im the only person that hasnt ever tried indian food. I was just complaining about this fact last weekend as a matter of fact.

karlaBOO · Post by **karlaBOO** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 10:52 am

I agree about the wallpaper. *nods* The artwork in there is really beautiful though.

They didn't have the mango pudding out? Damn. I get it just to freak myself out, because it looks like butterscotch. LOL.

Francesca · Post by **Francesca** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 11:44 am

No they had the rice pudding.

iblis · Post by **iblis** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 10:18 pm

Francesca wrote:WOW.

I just had the lunch buffet and sweet tea which came to $9 (tax included)

I had:

Vegatable Marsala
---very tasty - had a very very slight burn to it after a while. Had a reddish sauce.

Chicken Curry
---not as creamy as some I've had but excellent with a reddish orange sauce -- the chicken was very succulent. Both the vegtable marsala and the chicken curry has lots of sauce which was great with the rice and Naan.

Spinach with chick peas- very smooth and creamy.

Black Bean Something or Other
---I forgot to write the name of down that got absorbed into the other dishes so I did not get a sense of a separate flavor.

Potatoes with Zucchini
---The potatoes were completely cooked and had absorbed a lot of the sauce wich gave them an excellent flavor. the zucchini was completly cooked as well. It was some sort of reddish sauce. This was my favorite dish.

Vegtable Fritters
---Not sure what vegetables were in there - they diced some stuff up but they were very savory.

Salad
---Iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers pre-tossed in a light cream dressing. Tomatoes and cukes were fresh and a nice cool contrast to the spicy food.

Naan
--puffy, warm, buttery, not burnt.

Cubed Watermelon
--not the freshest or sweetest I've had but that is more due to the time of year...

Carrot Pudding
--This was really interesting...it was like a fine slaw in texture, it was warm, had cachews? and white rasins and appeared to be cooked in honey. It was incredibly good. I didn't expect it to be but it was.

Many of the dishes has a lot of fat in them which gave them a good mouth feel and probably why they tasted so darn good.

Sorry I'm not more up on the ingredients and spices, if it were italian food I'd be more knowledgable.

Oh, one other comment - they really need to clean off the chair rail and the wallpaper that is at eye level. It's filthy. Better yet, change out the hideous floral stripe wallpaper... it overwhelms the cool indian artwork.

Francesca

lol. i have walked in there several times, meaning to give a good review for them. their food is damn good, and filling as hell.

however, the minute it settles into my mind that there's not only unlimited spinach, but chicken and potatoes as well... there it goes. good intentions, they're not even paved into the road to hell. they're forgotten, right next to the plate of spicey vegetables that i'm guarding, just in case a waiter gets antsy and wants to take it away before i've finished it.

dieters beware: if i did eat there as often as i'd like to, i'd either be 800 pounds, or working out like an olympic athlete just to manage the "mildly chubby" mark. but that's just because it's damn fucking delicious.

however, regardless of the fact that it's incredibly simple to do a low-carb lunch on their food, that fat is going to go somewhere. a couple of crunches or push-ups aren't going to make up the damage a visit to this fine establishment is going to make. in other words, if you're already active, don't worry about it. if you aren't, get active, or get plump, 'cause all that flavor isn't just from spicey goodness. cooking anything in yogurt will add up, to the calorie counters' dismay.

but that warning is just from my own experience. don't let it stop you from trying the place out - even if you'll never know what you're missing, the rest of us will be sure to laugh and call you names.

these guys really do deserve a 'five stars', or 'ten krystals', in my book. definitely worth a try.

(i do have to admit that, while i'd heard many tales of indian food being too hot and/or spicey, i was left wanting in that particular department. 'vader's chicken wings - the good ones, not the shit he hands out to wussies - are much spicier. i've yet to find sitar's cuisine challenging my palate - so if that's what you're looking for, bet 'vader $50 that he can't burn your tongue....)

Post by **DarkVader** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 12:11 pm

iblis wrote:(i do have to admit that, while i'd heard many tales of indian food being too hot and/or spicey, i was left wanting in that particular department. 'vader's chicken wings - the good ones, not the shit he hands out to wussies - are much spicier. i've yet to find sitar's cuisine challenging my palate - so if that's what you're looking for, bet 'vader $50 that he can't burn your tongue....)

Two things here:

1. Sitar can provide challenging spice levels. They just have to be convinced that you're serious. I suggest getting the vindaloo, and emphasizing to them several times that you want it REALLY hot. It may take a few visits, and mentioning that the really hot version you just received is too mild. I did have one of the waiters tell me that he couldn't eat something as hot as I'd just mentioned was a bit too mild. All the waiters at Sitar are Indian.

2. If you're really considering betting me $50 that I can't burn your tongue, please think again. I don't accept bets that I don't know I'll win. You WILL be in pain. Of course, it'll taste good, too - after you get past your tongue trying to leap out of your head and find the nearest river.

Onibubba · Post by **Onibubba** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 11:15 am

It has a sister location in Nashville that I ate at when I lived there. Check them out if you re ever in Nash.

I was addicted to their garlic naan.

Shadow Of The Fox · Post by **Shadow Of The Fox** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 2:34 pm

I decided to go ahead and try it a couple nights ago.

My brother ended up getting the tandoori chicken, my father the seafood curry, and I got the lamb buhna. All very lovely, but the buhna had the perfect level of seasonings, vegetables, and acid, for my liking.

I've definitely got to try the lunch buffet now.

shadow dancer · Post by **shadow dancer** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 2:22 pm

Had the buffet today. Yummy as always.

ArsenicAngel · Post by **ArsenicAngel** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 4:45 pm

Sitar rocks, the food is absolutely to die for good.

tbones · Post by **tbones** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 12:47 pm

one time i went there and the toliet in the womens bathroom was overflowing onto the floor.. i told the waiter. but he didnt understand me.
sucks when you go somewhere and the waiters dont understand english..
thats my only complaint.
other than that eat all the naan you can! cause its damn good.

Shadow Of The Fox · Post by **Shadow Of The Fox** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 2:01 pm

Ew! Now I see why they have that screen in front of the bathrooms... :-?

But, oh yeah is that naan good!