I found the place similar in bottom line: very very pleasant, very oakland (I miss me some oakland), but the tastes are --- simplistic. There's a benefit in simplicity, allowing individual ingredients more sparkle, but that's not really how Indian works. Arguably that simplicity is a Cal improvement.
We arrived at about 6:20 on a friday, and even when we left (7:30) there were two-tops available. The place was mostly full, but the (somewhat poorly placed) bar seats were available the entire time. And, at 7:00, one of the big booths opened up. The place is very kid friendly - Temescal is good for young families, and several tables had very young kids (but not toddlers).
The alcohol situation is a few decently chosen beers and wines. Prices are reasonable in an era of $14 glasses - some $8 with generous pours. Mostly white, with an "on tap" system. Beers were local and well chosen too.
The apps and sliders were nicely small, and we had a couple of those. The Holy Cow short rib was a nice slider, there was a cheese ball thing with a nice sauce, and a Sev Poori that I liked (lots of apple taste or jicima or something).
We had the chicken leg curry main, and it was nice and "beachy". A lighter curry, and well slow cooked chicken.
Overall, if I lived in the 'nabe, I'd put it on regular rotation. It wasn't that expensive, had a great feel, and the food was sprightly and homey at the same time. I have a friend a few blocks away, I'd definitely suggest meeting him there for a pint and a nosh.
We were going to Shotgun Theater that night, and being right on Shattuck (and near the 51st offramp) this was a perfect no-fuss option. If you have any interest in local theater, you have to check out Shotgun - they do original stuff, we saw the second Stoppard "coast of utopia" play, which can be a bore but was pulled off very well. They also, somehow, have a hard liquor license because they do cocktails - for these, white russians and black russians were the special, and you can drink in the theater. GF likes the brownies, and you can park at BART (or take bart).
However, Juhu is not really a destination place for me - this is a Local Gem.
(As comparison, Encuentro is nearly a destination, whenever I drive past that one offramp I think of getting off and seeing what they've got going)
↧