Lonely Sitar -- Go For The Curry And Bring A Crowd

THE INVOLUNTARY UH-OH: It is every exploratory diner's dilemma:

You walk into a restaurant you have heard good things about. It looks right. It smells right. It almost feels right - except for one thing.

It is the height of the dinner hour and the place is empty.

Two things happen: First you wonder why. Then you consider turning on your heels and leaving.

One recent evening at the Sitar, 8518 Greenwood Ave. N., all of that happened, except for the final consideration. I stayed.

The only action at all in the attractive but cozy dining room was the recording of a melancholy sitar - player unknown, raga undetermined. Brightly colored buntings and tapestries hung softly over nobody.

The pleasant interior was imported from Bangladesh by partner-owner Shabbir Karim. "I'm the import-export guy," he said. "I brought in the furnishings, like the rattan chairs. But my brother Zubair Karim is the chef. We modeled the restaurant after many of the Bangladeshi-owned places in London. The menu tends to be very eclectic."

The waiter greets you with an almost existential serenity, gestures with a sweep of hand to the practically empty room. You go to a side table and contemplate the menu - in whispers.

It is a considerable menu. A dozen vegetarian dishes. Indian specialties from all over the Asian subcontinent.

Reliable intelligence (friends who love the spicier varieties of Indian dishes) had noted that the Sitar, still largely undiscovered, served some potent curries from southern India - in particular lamb madras for a mere $7.75.

We started with a couple of glasses of cold chardonnay and a plate of hot but unimpressive vegetable pakoras ($2.50). The "assorted vegetables" that the menu suggested were to be deep-fried inside of the "spiced garbanzo batter" turned out to be a few cubes of potato and some onion - and nothing else. The mint chutney that was supposed to accompany them was somehow lost or forgotten. Instead, a light, thin raita was provided for dipping.

We dipped and munched.

The menu is largely a la carte. Although prices are quite low (between $7 and $8.50), rice, breads, chutney and relishes cost extra. Some entrees, notably those from the tandoor oven, include rice and sauteed onions. Chutneys cost about $1 each; breads from $1.50 for chapatis or naan (nicely puffed and slightly charred) to $2.50 for garlic naan or onion kulcha (naan stuffed with diced onion before a hot, searing tandoor baking).

Rice is $2 for a plain pilau and up to $9 for the more elaborate biriyanis - all made with basmati rice. It makes sense to come with a crowd, order your central platters of rice and/or daal and then select a variety of meat and vegetable specials to share.

Speaking of daal (which is also spelled dal and dahl), the Sitar serves daal turka ($5), yellow lentils cooked with garlic, onions, herbs and spices. Its version is rather thick and substantial, unlike the sometimes soupy presentations found elsewhere.

Daals are technically any Indian preparation of legumes - dried peas, beans or lentils - and they can be made from a bewildering variety of pulses, and to any degree of density. These, however, seemed as if they would have benefited from a bit more liquid, a little longer time in the pot and perhaps a more daring hand at the spice cabinet.

Chicken tikka ($7.50) is one of four tandoori entrees (priced from $6.50 for a half roasted chicken to $8.50 for lamb roti kabab). They arrive on sizzling metal platters, with a bed of vigorously frying onions and a mound of basmati rice - dotted through with green peas - on the side.

It's an attractive dish, with the steam from the onions billowing up through the rice like volcanic vents and the brilliant red-marinated chicken pieces offering a bright accent. The boneless pieces of chicken were flavorful, moist and tender, but the subtle, fragrant qualities of the rice were a touch overwhelmed by the steam bath of scorched onion rings.

Five lamb choices are offered, all priced at $7.75: roghan josh (the mildly seasoned tomato-yogurt curry), lamb masala (marinated in blended dried spices), lamb vindaloo (the extra spicy, tangy dish that originated in Portuguese Goa), lamb palak (with chopped spinach) and the dish we had come for, lamb madras.

Madras is noted for its hot, exotic curries. The Sitar's treatment does the dish and the chef credit. The plentiful cubes of lamb were lean and tender, floating in a thick, deep-red curry sauce that was assertive (we had ordered it medium-hot) and richly complex. We finished it, mopped up the last of the sauce with the naan, and consider the search for a real Madras curry well satisfied.

Sitar has three biriyani specialties, meat or vegetables in sauced rice. The mixed-vegetable biriyani is $6.95, a chicken biriyani for $7.95 and a savory lamb biriyani at $8.95. The saffron-seasoned rice is augmented with a garnish of herbs, including cilantro, two kinds of raisins and nuts.

Our lamb biriyani was quite good and robustly seasoned but a few pieces of lamb might have been better trimmed. The yogurt-based raita that came with it was quite thin, and accented sparsely with slivers of carrot, tomato and cucumber.

Sitar uses a range of seasonings. Some are used whole, some ground. Included are cumin, coriander, tumeric, black pepper, mustard and fennel seeds, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. "Sometimes we leave the spices whole and fry them, sometimes we roast the spices, and at other times we grind them and mix them with water or vinegar to make a paste," the menu explained. "each of these techniques draws out a completely different flavor from the spices."

A note on the menu points out that Sitar is the first restaurant to have been opened in the U.S. by its owners. I asked the waiter what other countries had preceded ours for that honor. "This is the first one anywhere," he said. "The first and only."

It may not be the last. Sitar needs to fine-tune a few strings, but it deserves a broader audience.

(Copyright 1993, John Hinterberger. All rights reserved.)

John Hinterberger's food columns and restaurant reviews appear Sundays in Pacific and Fridays in Tempo. Tom Reese is a Seattle Times photographer.

# # $$ Sitar, Authentic Indian Cuisine, 8518 Greenwood Ave. N. Lunch ($4.50) 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Dinner ($6 to $9) 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; until 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday; 5 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Beer, wine. Major credit cards. No smoking. Reservations: 782-7890.

LAMB MADRAS Makes 6 to 8 servings 10 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 medium onions, peeled and diced 3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into small cubes 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 tablespoon ground coriander 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 to 2 teaspoons salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper About 1 cup water 2 large tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped 2 teaspoons wheat flour 1. In a large pan heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and fry until golden brown. Add the lamb and fry until browned. 2. Stir in the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt, cloves, nutmeg, cayenne and black pepper. Add the water, tomatoes and flour. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer about 1 hour, until the lamb is tender and the sauce has thickened somewhat. Serve over rice.