Le Indya Naples

Posted byXsivjoshPosted inUncategorized

A couple of nights ago Barb and I went to see ‘Come From Away’ at Artis in Naples. Artis is Naples’ very well endowed Center for the Arts.

Before an 8 o clock show one must always catch a good dinner. There are several popular places nearby, but I find them overly crowded and overwhelmed by pre-theater crowds. We decided to check out a relatively new find: Le Indya. Our only previous experience with Indian food in Naples has been at a very upscale, pretty and pricey place. It’s lovely, but not at all laid back or casual. I don’t like to get dressed up when I’m expecting to do a bit of sweating over dinner.

When we were seated with our bottle of wine, our server, Joanne, politely informed us of the $15 corkage. She described the dishes we inquired about and let us know when a dish or two might not suit our tastes. She was very pleasant to speak with and certainly one of the nicest servers we’ve interacted with so far this trip.

I always start my Indian meals with an Onion Kulcha or Onion Naan. This one was generously endowed with onion.
De rigeur are the chutneys,. These two are mint and tamarind.
The dish I judge an Indian restaurant by is Chicken Korma. This one was creamy, a little coconut-y and very tasty. Unusual for me was the incorporation of white meat chicken rather than dark meat. A healthier option perhaps, but I favor the juiciness of dark meat chicken.
Barb was very happy to find a Sea Bass option on the menu. This dish was served in a wonderful curry with lots of veggies. She was very happy with her choice of Fish Nirvana.

The Bagara Baigan was about four small eggplants in a curry sauce that seemed itself to be made of eggplant pieces. Its a little different than the Baigan Bharta we are uses to, but we really enjoyed the large chunks of eggplant we got from the whole eggplants.
We brought a white Cotes du Rhone that really complemented the whole meal. The medium spicy dishes could have worked well with some reds like Syrah or Zinfandels, but the white grapes of this wine (Roussane, Marsanne and whatever else they put in) are unexpected treats with spicy foods.
As expected, there was a bowl of Basmati rice to act as a base for all of our dishes.

I’m a fan of the Rice Pudding that usually ends an Indian meal. This one was a bit thicker than the soupier ones than I’ve come to expect. Nonethless, it was quite tasty.

Until now, I have really missed the casual, inexpensive and fun Indian cuisine I am accustommed to enjoying in the Philly and New Jersey region.

Le Indya has filled that void in options of Ethnic cuisines. Now if I could only find a Vietnamese place for Pho and Bahn Mi, I’d be a happy pup.

A minor warning: if you plan to spend a few hours at a venue that requires you wearing a mask, think twice before consuming a meal of several curries. The blowback can be considerable.

Leave a comment