Tandoori Grill
808 BETHEL ROAD 614-326-3777, www.tandoorigrill.biz Dec. 15 (out of five) $6 to $22 (sandwiches and entrees) Large portions and great values on kebabs and Pakistani and northern Indian fare abound from a no-holdsbarred kitchen.
mango lassi, potato samosa, chicken samosa, bun kebab, family platter, chana masala, haleem chicken
Wrapping up a meal that began with a free soup sampler, my charming young server smiled, presented the check along with a clamshell box and proudly announced: “Gabby has left you a special message.”
Before scanning the words atop the Styrofoam container enclosing my leftovers, I noticed that Gabby, who appears to be about 9 years old, was beaming a few feet away as she waited for me to read: “Thank you!! Have a nice day!!”
If these were the only good things about Flavor 91 Burger Bistro, they would have been reason enough to drive out to Whitehall that night. But with its tidy and inviting space, enthusiasm for local sourcing and feel-good food starring grassfed burgers, hand-cut fries plus homemade soups and pub-style appetizers, Flavor 91 has much more to offer.
No wonder the place co-owned by Moses Hayelom and his mother, Winnie Alemayoh — Moses is the server and Gabby is his cousin — has been embraced by locals. Clearly, customers appreciate that Flavor 91 is a family-run oasis of fresh ingredients and scratchcooking in a landscape teeming with chain eateries.
Once settled into a roomy black booth in the upbeat, green-andwhite environs detailed with corrugated aluminum or at one of the simple wooden tables or at the spacious bar, order a $4 draft of not-hopped-to-death IPA or crisp Uncle Joe’s Irish Red ale ($4), each produced by Whitehall’s own 2 Tones Brewing Co. Soak in the good beer and the pleasant songs usually playing in the key of Drake and order the Ethiopian dry-rubbed house wings (10 for $10).
The killer chicken snacks arrive uncommonly crisp, not one bit greasy and bearing an addictive hot-spice blend that celebrates the restaurant-owning family’s Ethiopian heritage. If seeking a meatless sting, it’s hard to beat the stuffed jalapenos ($6). Featuring a crackly 5186 E Main St., Whitehall