RESTAURANT
Nugooru said it took nine months to rebuild the 5,000-square-foot space, which seats 100.
Dakshin got its start in 2011 on Sawmill Road and relocated to Sancus Boulevard a few years later. Another Dakshin was opened on North Hamilton Road before the Sancus store closed about a year ago.
The restaurant’s return to the Far North Side was based on demographics, said Nugooru, whose wife, Sri, owns the restaurants.
“Our biggest clientele, our Indian clientele, is in this area right here,” he said.
The house specialty is biryani: three distinct versions of the rice dish slow- cooked in large pots, in the style of southern India.
“That is how it’s supposed to be made,” Nugooru said. “That’s how it’s traditionally made, and that’s how we make it.”
One version is the talapakattu, with either lamb or chicken, which uses aromatic seeraga, or jeera, samba rice, preferred in southern Indian biryanis.
Dakshin also is noted for its extensive array of Indochinese dishes, such as manchow chicken soup, chili baby corn and Manchurian cauliflower.
Nugooru is quick to note that the restaurant uses only wild-caught shrimp, free- range chicken and halal lamb and local goat.
The spice mixtures are made on site and used in precise fashion and heat levels, Nugooru said. In other words, if an item is marked hot ( paneer Chettinad) or mild ( aloo Gobi), the spiciness will not be adjusted, he said.
Most entrees are $ 13 to $ 15.
For those who want to sample a variety of dishes, there is a daily lunch buffet ($ 7.99 weekdays, $12.99 on the weekends) and a vegan buffet ($ 12.99), with 40 to 50 items, every Thursday night.
Lunch hours are 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and noon to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Dinner hours are 5 to 10 p. m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
For more information, call 614-389-2670.
Ditch the forks
Don a plastic bib and put aside the forks at Boiling Seafood Crawfish — normal etiquette doesn’t apply.
The new restaurant, which has replaced Panda Inn at 1446 Bethel Road, specializes in New Orleans- style seafood meals — boiled, seasoned and served in a bag.
Boiling Seafood offers a number of choices — several different styles of crab, lobster, crawfish ( naturally), shrimp and clams among them — offered by the pound and, with most options, at market price.
They are served in one of four sauces: “juicy” Cajun, garlic butter, lemon pepper or a combination of all three, called homemade “juicy.” Levels of spiciness range from “baby” to extra spicy.
Customers are furnished with bibs and plastic gloves, as they are expected to eat with their hands.
There are a number of other menu options, such as etouffee, po’ boy sandwiches, baskets of fried seafood and starters, including raw and fried oysters.
Another Boiling Seafood is in Cleveland Heights.
Pastitsio in Polaris
Eat Greek quietly has replaced a portion of Sugardaddy’s Sumptuous Sweeties at 1329 Cameron Ave. in the Polaris area.
Much of the food is prepared in- house, owner Amgad Youssef said. A few highlights: lamb shank, stuffed peppers, pastitsio and pistachio baklava.
Gyros, with garlic sauce or tzatziki, are part of the menu, as are fried smelts.
While it has a Cameron Avenue address, Eat Greek faces Powell Road. Meanwhile, Sugardaddy’s still has some space in the back.
New dog in town
Rude Dog Bar and Grill in Polaris is under new ownership.
Christopher “Chico” Garcia said he has big plans for the tavern, 8711 Sancus Blvd., but a complete reboot, including a name change, is months away.
Some minor revisions have been made, but the menu and 36 taps will remain for the time being, Garcia said.
For the obit fi le
Closed: Graze, in the Mettler- Toledo International Inc. building, 1900 Polaris Parkway. Another remains open in the Ohio Statehouse.