Origin India

My wife read about Origin India in Rachael Ray Magazine.  The restaurant is going to be featured on one of Rachael Ray’s travel TV shows.  On Sunday, October 19, 2008 after going to the 11 am mass at Guardian Angel Cathedral we drove north on Las Vegas Boulevard (The Strip), turned right on Convention Center Drive and then turned right on Paradise Road.  Origin India is in a strip mall on the northeast corner of Paradise Road and E. Harmon Road, south of Flamingo Road.  The strip mall is across Paradise Road from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.  Also in the same strip mall is a frozen yogurt place called Red Mango.

We parked and entered Origin India.  It has an elegant setting with dim lighting, many dark tables with comfortable chairs, and Indian decorations on the walls.  Festive Indian music played over the speakers.  It was fairly empty, only one other table was occupied.  The waiter let us sit where we wanted.  He gave us lunch menus and the dinner menu since the latter offered much greater variety.  He was right.  The lunch menu only offered a few items under soups/salads and express lunch specials but the dinner menu had numerous items under headings such as appetizers, items from the tandoori oven, and entrée specials.  We placed all our orders from the dinner menu and while we waited they served us some papadoms with plum sauce and mint sauce.  Both sauces were good with the mint sauce sweet and refreshing.

They brought our appetizer first: Potli Samosas or pastries filled with peas, cauliflower, potatoes, and spices.  Rachael Ray had recommended this appetizer in her magazine.  The pastries looked kind of like little bundles “tied” at the top.  They were served on a plate on top of a decorative grid made with the mint and plum sauce.  They were excellent especially with the mint and plum sauce.  The pastry was just slightly crunchy and never too brittle nor too chewy.  I could taste the pepper in the filling but it didn’t overwhelm the peas, potato, and cauliflower.  They were substantial but left plenty of room for the entrees to come.

Our entrees came soon after we finished the appetizer and, as the waiter had foretold, they were impressive.  My wife ordered the Chicken Chettinad that was chicken thighs cooked with spices that came with rice, lentils in sauce, and salad.  She mixed the chicken with the rice and greatly enjoyed it along with the lentils.  I ordered the Chicken Chili Milli that was chicken in spices char-grilled kabob style.  The spices were a fusion of Indian and East Asian.  It came with salad and some mint sauce and bits of red sauce spread decoratively.  Like my wife, I greatly enjoyed my entrée.  The chicken was spicy and the black charred parts gave it some crunch.  The spices also gave it a sweet flavor. The chicken was dark meat and perfectly cooked: grilled through but still juicy.  With both our entrees came a basket of naan bread that was fluffy, slightly charred and delicious.

Our lunch at Origin India was worthy of an excellent dinner just about anywhere.  With the elegant setting and mood lighting it seemed like a dinner even though it was just lunch.  The place never got very crowded, maybe 2-3 other parties came and went.  I overheard one of the waiters saying that it’s much busier at dinnertime and on weekdays.  The waiters were very attentive and nice.  They asked us where we came from.  We were able to use a coupon that we printed from the Internet and get 15% off.  If you like Indian food and want to try something other than all those crowded places and The Strip, check out Origin India.