Everest on Grand - 1278 Grand Ave. St. Paul

For the letter 'E', we embarked on a journey to Everest on Grand, a Nepalese restaurant, with a varied and extensive menu of samosas, momo, pakoras, and both vegetarian and meat curries. They had a short list of wine, beer, and cider. Our samplings included a Taj Mahal (brew from India), Angry Planet Pale Ale (from Flat Earth - a local brewery), and the Rush River Cider (from River Falls, WI).

We began our climb through the culinary offerings of Everest with Yak Momo, a steamed dumpling with ground yak (local, grass fed www.yak-man.com), a mix of veggies, cliantro, caraway seeds, and other spices. It was steamed to perfection (there was none of that typical crispy bottom or under cooked skin) and was served with a delicious Momo Achar, a house made sauce of cliantro, tomato,and Nepali spices. The Anchar is what made this dish memorable! It was reminiscent of a Mexican salsa, but the tangy, roasted tomatoes added a surprising twist.

Our next sampling was Daal, a lentil and urad (mung bean) soup. The lentils and beans were blended with garlic, butter, and ginger to create a grainy texture that made a great dipping medium for the Poori, a fried wheat dough. Porri tastes like a flatbread; rather bland on it's own, but it makes for great dipping in the many sauces that were served!

The Bhedako Maasu (Lamb Curry) was anything but a typical curry dish. It combined a succulent, cubed leg of lamb with ginger, garlic, tomato, and a blend of spices. This delicious curry was much heavier on the tomato than a typical curry and was somewhat similar to a chili or sorts (though eaten over rice).

Another of our samplings of Nepali cusine was the Maasu Dalla (Turkey Meatballs). These meatballs consisted of a ground turkey combined with onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro and tomato sauce.

I reached the top of Everest when I had my first bite of the Bheda-Ko-Sekuwa (Boneless, Roasted Lamb). I didn't need to consult the Dahli Lama to know that this was by far the best lamb I have ever tasted! It was marinated and then perfectly grilled with a slightly charred crust and thoroughly cooked but still moist inside. This decident lamb was served over a bed of green peppers, onions, and tomatoes and a side of a fresh, house made cilantro and mint sauce. All of the flavors were so distinct but in unison.

If you are looking for what one might think is typical of Indian cuisine, the Tikka Masala (Marinated Chicken) would be for you. The chicken is cooked in a flkka (heavy cream) sauce with a mixture of herbs and curry flavors. This had a creamy, heavy on the milk, flavor when compared to most yellow curries.

Every great meal ends with dessert, and we ended ours with Jerri (Julebi). A wheat flour batter that is deep fried into rings and then soaked in sugar syrup. It was somewhere in between a funnel cake and a fortune cookie dripping with syrup. It was rather interesting, but with one bite I had ingested my daily amount of oil and sugar.

The building and decor of Everest were quite simple. Many pictures of Mt. Everest dotted the walls and tables. The service was quite slow, however on the night of our visit it was packed wall to wall the entire time we dined. The menu items were reasonably priced (we also used Restaurant.com to purchase a $25 off coupon on top of that) . If you are sharing, the combo would be the way to go. We rated Everest as our second favorite restaurant that we have been to so far!

Other recommendations from our club that start with an 'E':

-Ecopolitan
-Egg & I
-Erte

Next month's destination -Firelake Grill House and Cocktail Bar
Bon Appitte!!