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Namaste Restaurant, Cuisine of India and Nepalby Milly Jones3355 S. Wadsworth Blvd. (Mission Trace Shopping Center, F 120), Lakewood, CO. Telephone (720) 963-4005 Hours: Some of you will remember this location as the prior home of Delhi Darbar. The new restaurant, Namaste, is much improved in cleanliness, quality of food, attractiveness and ambiance. Black-lacquered chairs bring a feeling of elegance to the tables, which are clothed in white linen. There is generous space between the tables, adding an element of privacy usually reserved for booths. This is a family-run business and you will see some of the family members in beautiful silk saris, always with a smile, always trying to please. And please they do. The food and service are wonderful. I strongly recommend you take several hungry friends with you so that you can do what the Yernbergs, the Swissdorfs and I did. We ordered six different dishes and shared them all. Bill and Kathy Yernberg come here frequently and had recommended that I do a review for Vegetarian Living. Starting first with the Papaddam, crisp flat bread with sauces, we continued with appetizers of Vegetable Samosa ($2.95), Onion Bhaji ($2.95) and Vegetable Pakora ($3.50), washing everything down with Taj Mahal beer from India ($6.50) and Tsing Tao beer from China ($4.00). It had been a trying week for everyone, so we appreciated the muted ethnic music floating in the background. We were in the mood to talk, and were given excellent service without it being intrusive. By the way, the delicious sauces are mango chutney, cucumber yogurt, mint chutney and tomato achar. For main courses we shared Alu Gobi (cauliflower & potatoes), Baigan Bhartha (eggplant, roasted and mixed with vegetables), Veggie Curry (mixed vegetables with curry sauce), Veggie Biryani (Basmati rice with garden vegetables), Vegetable Momo (steamed vegetable dumplings), and Vegetable Chow-chow (stir -fried noodles with vegetables). We ordered everything medium spicy. My favorite was the eggplant. Eryn liked the dumplings so much she took an extra order home for lunch the next day. The spiciest dish was the fried noodles. However, even though I usually don’t like spicy food, I gobbled them up. All 13 of the "Vegetarian Corner" dishes range from $7.95-$9.95. "Nepali Corner" is also vegetarian (4 choices ranging $6.95-$7.95). Look for the "Namaste Specialties" of which the Veggie Thali is a combination platter ($14.95). We passed on dessert, but there are three dairy desserts to choose from ranging $2.00 - $2.95. It was hard to leave, we had such a good time. In fact, you’ll be so enthusiastic, you’ll want to have a party here. There is a large separate room, which holds 40-50 people. The outdoor patio holds 15-20. They also provide take-out and catering. Hari Gurung was kind enough to sit with me after the others had left to answer some questions. She and her husband Purna opened this restaurant in September of 2000. Hari does the cooking and they are her recipes. She was born in Nepal and had a restaurant in Nepal. After working in several restaurants in the U.S., they decided to try their own. Much to our benefit. Because one of our readers had recently focused attention on the issue of cooking vegetable and meat dishes on the same surface, I asked Hari about this. She assured me that at Namaste, they cook vegetarian dishes in a separate pan with separate utensils from those used to prepare meat dishes. When it was time for me to go (almost closing time!), she placed her hands together as if in prayer and bid me "Namaste" (accent on the last syllable). Then she explained that this is a greeting that shows respect for the other person. To paraphrase its meaning--"I honor the god or universe inside of you. We are both together."-- a fitting sentiment in the aftermath of the NYC tragedy. Nasmaste is the only restaurant in Denver that offers both Nepalese and Indian food. And I would add, the only restaurant in Denver with the Gurung family. - Namaste - Milly Jones
NOTE: VSC got a question from a reader in Colorado Springs in response to the last review (Ruby Tuesday). She wanted to know if the Ruby Tuesday in Aurora cooked vegetarian and meat entrees on the same surface. I called Ingrid Kauppila at the location in Aurora. She explained that the mushrooms are usually cooked on the same surface with meat products, but that vegetarians could request that their mushrooms be heated in the cheese melter which has no contact with meat. The baked potatoes are cooked on a separate surface from meat. And the veggie burger is cooked on the flat top grill with bread products where there is no contact with meat. Different locations may have different practices, so ask.
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