Dots, not feathers.

I've eaten at three Indian restaurants here in Nashville. Shalimar, in Green Hills; Sitar, downtown on West End; and Taste of India, downtown on Church.

(This is the extent of my exposure to Indian food.)

However, I have to say that of the three, Sitar is definitely my favorite, and I have no idea what Scene readers were thinking when they voted Shalimar the best Indian restaurant in Nashville. First off, Shalimar is overpriced. Waaaaaay overpriced. Nice setting, but really, come on guys. At Sitar I pay the same amount and get naan, chutneys, an appetizer, a mango lassi, and an entree for the same price as a mango lassi and an entree at Shalimar. Also, at Shalimar tonight, I ordered my entree as "mild". I was unaware that "mild" meant "no spice at all." See, at Sitar, "mild" means "spicy, but your head won't explode."

I will give props to the service at Shalimar; it was exemplary, but not enough to make up for the overpriced, somewhat bland food.

I had Taste of India quite some time ago, maybe a year or two? So I can't really say much about that. I think it was good and the service was good.

Two thumbs up for Sitar.