REVIEW: Akbar's Indian Cuisine: It's a Trap...of Deliciousness

Or How I Almost Ate A Warm Towelette

During my years at Hofstra University on Long Island, if we wanted to go to the mall or movie theater, we would pass by an Indian restaurant called Akbar's. Being people who loved Star Wars, it was only natural that someone would yell out "It's a trap!" as we drove by, just as the fish headed Admiral Akbar screamed in Return of the Jedi. Eventually, my enjoyment of Indian food transformed this restaurant from a joke to a curiosity.

Now, for those who don't know, I started a diet several weeks ago. It's not too hard to stick to, but it's not exactly easy either. The thing is, I've allowed myself to have about two meals during the weekend where I don't adhere to the plan. I've decided that for the most part, I don't want these meals wasted on somewhere like Friday's or any of its many clones. I want to try new foods and new restaurants, which led my lovely fiancee Chrystal and me to finally trying Akbar's last night.

First off, Akbar's is a beautiful restaurant. It's very open, very bright and very clean. We might have just gone at a slow part of the night, but the service was incredible. At least 8 people asked me if I wanted something to drink before I finally ordered a glass of wine. (Chrystal had the fortitude to stick with water, I just couldn't say no to those people) As for the food, it was a huge step up for someone who had only enjoyed take-out Indian food at work. The garlic naan was fluffy and flavorful and the chicken biryani was better than I've ever had before.

After they cleared our table of all the dinner plates, the put out a plate with two rolled up white and yellow things which looked to me, like some sort of rolled white chocolate. If anyone's ever been to a Thai restaurant, you've probably had a free dessert at the end of the meal that's like a white chocolate wrapped in banana leaves. This is the kinda thing it was. Luckily, the waiter noticed me pondering the plate and said "That's for wiping off your hands." Holy crap, I almost ate a warm, moist towelette. The actual desserts we had were far more delicious than the towel would have been. I had carrot pudding, which didn't actually have a pudding-like consistency, but was more like ground up warm carrots that were incredibly sweet. As for Chrystal, she had...milk balls? They were good, but neither their texture nor appearance is appetizing. It was three brown balls sitting in honey. Three brown balls in a yellow substance. Not what you imagine when capping off your meal, but Chrystal dove in and tried them and was pleasantly surprised.

So, after 4 years of imagining the proprietor of Akbar's to be a fish-headed admiral from a galaxy far far away, I have to say that Akbar's is truly a great restaurant in addition to being a source of puns for Star Wars geeks. I can't wait til the next time we go there so I can enjoy that sweet, sweet carrot pudding again.