I was bemoaning my access to really good Indian food when a friend suggested I try the Everest Restaurant, "a hole in-the-wall kind of place with really good ethnic food. I've heard they have a good mutton dish." The fact that mutton isn't exactly on everyone's menu and that it can be difficult to cook made me curious enough to try it out.
The decor was simple, almost understated. I read somewhere that if a restaurant spends too much time and resources on making itself look good than the food might be lacking, thus when the decor is simple the food is bound to be excellent. While this is often true of larger places it isn't always so with smaller eateries. Sometimes the food is better than expected, sometimes the food matches the setting. Here at the Everest Restaurant I was pleasantly surprised to find myself surrounded by rich, savory food served piping hot and spiced just as I ordered it.
When I asked for a cup of hot chai I was given the choice of having it serves sweetened or unsweetened. For me this alone was worth the trip inside. Chai is usually made by brewing black tea and spices, such as cardamom and cloves, in milk. It's my opinion that most places that serve chai in Akron serve it so sweet it is almost cloying. Having the option to try it unsweetened made my evening. It was rich, fragrant, and worthy of a second serving.
I ordered the Mutton Thali as my friend had suggested, but asked for it to be prepared with the most moderate amount of spiciness, meaning I wanted it to be not too mild but not too hot. A Thali is usually a round tray of several small dishes served at once with copious amounts of rice. This particular dish was served with golden lentil soup, roti (a kind of flat bread), yellow saag with potatoes, rice and milk, and a mango pickle. Although this dish is traditionally eaten with one's hand, using small pieces of roti to scoop up bite-sized morsels, it was brought to the table with a fork and spoon. Instead of making do with the single roti that came with it I ordered some naan. There was enough soft bread in my one order for two persons to share.The pickle wasn't to my liking mostly because I didn't know how to eat it. Was I supposed to mix it in with my rice? Add it to one or all of the dishes? Eat it as is? I took a very small bite and then left it alone. The basmati rice was fragrant, the lentil soup was creamy and delicate, and the spiced rice and milk was delicious, but the Mutton soup was definitely the star of this dish. The sauce was aromatic and savory and the meat was tender and free of any gristle. One bite and I was already vested in finishing the dish off by myself, except I had to share some of it with my dinner companion. The spiciness level was spot on for me. My companion found the medium spice level to be almost too hot for him. This is a good example of how different individual palates can be.
I didn't find it to be spicy hot at all, perhaps because the Thali had dulled my sense of taste. My companion swiped a napkin across his brow to highlight the fact that he did indeed find it spicy hot. Go figure. I suggested he spoon some rice and milk into his mouth to counter the burn. It helped a little.
While the Thali enticed me to visit again the Korma guaranteed it. The wait staff was attentive and polite, and a peek through the window to the kitchen afforded me a view of clean serving counters and a tidy setup behind the closed door.
Of course, when I come back I will have to ask them how to eat the mango pickle they serve here. Oh, and the fennel seeds offered at the register, you might be better off trying a smaller portion than what I took. The colored seeds taste better than the plain ones, and if you don't like fennel or the taste of black licorice don't try them.
The Everest Restaurant is located right outside Akron at 2033 State Road, Cuyahoga Falls. 234-706-6630, Open Tuesday through Sunday, Lunch 11 am-2:30 pm, Dinner 5-10 pm. They specialize in Nepali and Indian Cuisine and serve a lunchtime buffet.
https://everestrestaurant.net
