Mango Pickle - Tasting Collective Dinner

I will admit that while I love food and love trying new foods, Indian food will frequently intimidate me.  This is because I really don't have a strong base to know exactly what is good and what isn't.  The food is so different, I really don't have a lot to compare it to.  Having said that, if I have a guide, I am happy to try it out.  I saw the release when Mango Pickle opened and I was interested but unsure.  When Tasting Collective announced that they would be doing a dinner there, I thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to try it out.  Located in Edgewater, it is on the far north side, though not quite in the Indian neighborhood on Devon.  It is a small place, though they were able to seat between 60 and 70 people and there is a small bar in the back.  The walls are very colorful and their was a lot of mandala art on the walls.  Our dinner was going to be an eight course dinner served mostly family style.  As in previous dinners, there was a small selection of beer, wine, and cocktails, sold cash only (The dinners were pre-paid).  I started things off with the Mango Pickle Gin and Tonic which, like all gin and tonics, had the title ingredients, but also included Cucumber and Anise.  It was pretty good as far as the gin and tonic, but the anise and the cucumber added a fresh vegetal and spicy flavor.

I said that the dinner was 8 courses.  That's how it was promoted, but there were extra things that in other places may have been considered a course in and of themselves.  The first of these was a plate of crunchy, cracker-like things.  There was no description of them on the menu and they were never mentioned, but they were pretty good.  They were crunchy with a little spice and impossible to just eat one.  I kept coming back to them as long as they were at the table.

Our first official course were Paneer Pops.  Paneer is an Indian cheese similar to Ricotta, and these were essentially cheese balls with a crust.  The crust did not seem fried, but it was cooked in some way because the crust had a crunch.  The paneer was served with Cilantro, Ginger, Chives, and Lemon Preserves.  The Cilantro and Lemon Preserves were outside the cheese balls, the lemon preserves holding them in place.  The ginger and chives, I think were mixed into the dough to add flavor.  It had a crisp outside, with a soft and creamy interior with a sweet tart flavor and a ginger finish.

Next were the Taro Root Pakoras served with Fennel, Cucumber, Red Onions, and Tomato.  Taro is a bulbous root vegetable that is grown throughout the world and is similar to yuca where tapioca comes from.  Pakora is essentially a fritter.  In this case, the taro root fritters were served as part of a salad with the fennel, cucumber, onions, and tomato, and providing it with a crunch.  The vegetables were very fresh and flavorful adding some flavor to an otherwise neutral flavored fried root.

From the salad, we proceeded to Tomato and Garlic Rasam with Tamarind, Curry, Cumin, and Mustard Seeds.  This was essentially a spicy tomato soup with a strong tamarind flavor.  This was served individually in a small glass.  The flavor of this wasn't bad, though it was strong.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't my favorite, though it was finished quickly.

 I did not notice while I was dining, and I didn't really expect it, but the course progression was very similar to western course progression.  I am not sure if this is authentic in Indian cuisine, or done because that is how Western diners expect to eat.  After our appetizer, salad, and soup, we started with our entrees with fowl, and specifically Butter Chicken served first.  It was served in a sauce of Cinnamon, Black Cardamom, Cumin, and Ginger.  It was very spicy and had a flavor similar to what many people expect of curry.  It was served with Naan, which was hollow like Pita Bread so the butter chicken could be eaten in the pita like a pocket sandwich.  It was very good and seemed to be a favorite of the diners.

The next entree was seafood and I will admit that when I think of Indian food, I don't think of seafood.  Called Siolim Kalwamchee, it had assorted seafood including mussels, scallops, and shrimp served in a Coconut Tamarind Broth.  It was also served with these interesting crackers similar to Shrimp Toast which couldn't easily be eaten with the mussels, but went well with everything else.  It was very good and flavorful and I think one of my favorite dishes, even if I couldn't pronounce it.

Our next entree was vegetarian, which, while it may seem to be a step in the wrong direction was actually very savory.  Called South Indian Pulao, it was the Indian version of Rice Pilaf and was served with Yogurt, Mustard Seeds, Raw Mango, and Curry.  It also had something that brought immediate dread upon me when I saw it, Chinese Eggplant.  When I had Chinese Eggplant years ago, I had no idea what it was and it was prepared in a dish, so I had to do some research to figure out what it was that I ate that I disliked so much.  It is incredibly bitter without much to temper it.  Despite the fact that I saw the Chinese Eggplant, I did try it.  The dish itself was pretty good with a lot of flavor and spice, and many textures coming from the rice and vegetables.  The Chinese eggplant did add some bitterness to the   I liked the dish, but I think that I might have liked it more if the Chinese eggplant.

Our final savory course was Ghee Braised Lamb with Bottle Gourd and Ten-Spice Masala.  The bottle gourd used in cooking is a thinner skinned version of the gourds (that are used as water holders when dried) and is similar to squash.  Ghee is an Indian version of Clarified Butter made from Yogurt.  As such, it makes the lamb very tender.  A masala is simply a spice mix, so the ten-spice masala is simply a ten-spice spice mix and the one used on the butter braised lamb added a lot of spicy flavor.  This was also one of my favorite dishes.

For our dessert, we did step away from strictly Indian cuisine and were served a Pot de Creme with Chocolate and Candied Pineapple.  A pot de creme is a custard prepared and served in a small dish and is similar to a panna cotta.  The custard itself had a nice and delicate flavor and was good without the chocolate or pineapple.  I enjoyed it and it was a good finish to a very good meal.

After coming here, I am less intimidated than I am in the past, but I would in no way call myself an expert.  The menu changes frequently and the names of dishes are not common in western cuisine, so I still might wonder exactly what it was that I might be ordering when I order something.  The food that I had was very good, so I would be confident that I would probably like what I got even if I didn't know exactly what it was that i was ordering to begin with.