I may have to rethink my opposition to South Lake Union.

Sadly, one of the treats of going to Vij's is the presence of Vikram Vij himself, gladhanding his way around the room, possibly bearing extra treats from the kitchen to pass around. If he doesn't remember every face he sees, he sure does a good job of seeming to; the last time we were there he remembered we were from Seattle, even though it had been years.

If you don't think Indian food can change your life, you're in for a shock. This is not "plate o'glop with naan", as much as I love a good glop.

This development should please Charles Mudede. Seattle is becoming a little more like Vancouver, BC.

Rangoli is Vij's much cheaper neighbor--no glad-handing Vikram has ever been spotted there by me--and it's just as delicious. The 2 cookbooks they did are also terrific.

I once had the odd, and wonderful, experience of watching them clean the kitchen after a dinner service. (We were finishing our last beverages, they laughed and said in no way were we interfering with their close, because it takes so long). Essentially, every shelf and rack in the kitchen is removed from the wall and boiled 'til clean, every night, they said. We witnessed a kid standing on the counter, removing shelves and cleaning the wall. It was more like a hospital than a restaurant kitchen, really remarkable to see the detail.

Sweet holy Moses!

@3, Rangoli also has the advantage of maybe getting a seat without waiting for two hours -- Vij's is really popular.

We made the mistake of going to Vij's on Valentine's Day one year, and sat in the bar, and sat, and sat, and by the time we were finally seated we were a little...tipsy, you could say. Well, OK, completely hammered. Still a good time! But yeah, expensive -- the first time we went, not long after they opened, the Canadian dollar was weak and the prices were cheaper than a glop restaurant -- heaven!

Brilliant idea. Awesome news.

vij's is the best.
one of the top restaurant experiences of my life.

i second fnarf--part of the fun is being chatted up by vij himself, though. ever since the wife and i ate our way through the entire menu with vij cheering us on, he's never forgot us. even with years in between visits.

but even without vij present, i'll be headed to SLU for the lamb popsicles.

Hey Bethany-- I consulted with Meeru and Vikram a few years back to add an insect dish (Cricket Parantha) to their menu and was featured on ABC's Nightline. More recently they offered a cricket pizza to their diners. I love these guys and am delighted to hear that they will soon be a part of the Seattle scene. David George Gordon (author of The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook).

Kent got you beat.

The best Indian restaurant opened this week in Kent...Curry and Kabab.

Read my review:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/curry-and-kabab-…

@9, get the fuck out of here. The very best of the kind of place you're talking about - and yes, there are some wonderful ones and Kent's may be among them - has almost zero points of comparison with Vij's or Rangoli. Except, of course, to someone like you.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

@8--
Hey, I ate that!

P.S. The Vancouver Sun article has more details. "Shanik will be “right smack in the middle” of the Vij’s and Rangoli restaurant concepts, she says."
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2012/05/09…

@9, you got a review published in Yelp? You ARE supreme!

Yes, Bailo. Your petty self-published "Yelp" review is nothing compared to the notoriety of being mentioned by the Food editor of a local pulp weekly as having once said a place was "the best." For shame!

Best dining experiences of my life have been at Vij's. A highlight? Being personally scolded by Vij when he walked by our table - "I called them POPSICLES' so white people wouldn't be afraid to pick them up with their fingers" - referring to the absolutely delicious lamb chop popsicles I was delicately eating with a knife and fork. Pure heaven and I am almost unhinged thinking about such fantastic food being available close by. Hopefully Vij will make the trip down to Seattle once and a while to charm/scold diners personally!

I'm going to inflict upon y'all something I learned from the first Vij's cookbook, which includes the lamb popsicle recipe. That sauce, that oh-so-delicious sauce, which serves 4, includes a quart of whipping cream.
I've been entertaining myself with imagining what "smack in the middle between the two" might mean. No freezer cases of take-out; also no very well-dressed 2-hour wait?

@17, yes, and most of the other recipes have the equivalent of a stick of butter in them. What's your point? Besides the one on top of your head that is.

If you think Rangoli is all about "freezer cases of takeout", or that you have to be well-dressed to eat at Vij's, or even that there's something shameful about being well-dressed, you are mistaken.

Anybody know what came of the several-years-old plans to move Vij's to Cambie?

#10, 14, 15

Curry and Kabob is here now and open for business.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/1/1676848/re…

And it's really that good!

@20, I've never yet been to any of the restaurants discussed here, unfortunately, although I hope to visit each of them one of these days, including Curry & Kabab. If you haven't either, though, then maybe you should ponder what that means about the necessity of your posts to this thread...