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Sitar of India joins the dark side

One of my coworkers — let's call him "J" — made a confession to me this week. It was something he'd had on his mind for awhile, and he said after giving it a great deal of thought over the weekend, he'd reached an important conclusion on the matter and needed to get it out in the open.

He told me he's done with Sitar.

Sitar, of course, is Charleston's Indian restaurant — and the home of chicken tikka masala. This place has, in the past, been a buffet-style restaurant. At some point they abandoned the buffet and became a traditional "sit down and eat" restaurant with menus. I first experienced Sitar during this phase, and had chicken tikka masala for the first time.

Good stuff. Very addictive. Not authentic Indian cuisine, but regardless, it soon became a regular lunch choice.

Martha got sick after eating there once — this was maybe a year after we first discovered it, maybe a bit less. I didn't go as often afterwards. I blame no one for this, nor do I blame Sitar for Martha getting sick — these were just things that happened. No causality intended.

At some point my coworkers and I learned the buffet had returned to Sitar three days a week, and chicken tikka masala was one of the featured items on the buffet. Happy times were upon us. So, we ventured forth to sample the new Sitar.

Now, one of the members of our team has a more highly-refined palate than the rest of us, and upon taking his first bite, he immediately said, "It's no good."

All you can eat chicken tikka masala no good? We scoffed, informed him he was likely full of something that was not chicken tikka masala, and continued eating. He elaborated that it tasted slightly rotten, and saying this, pushed his plate aside. Astounding.

We continued going to Sitar despite his protests, making it into a Friday lunch ritual. Occasionally we convinced him to go along. He'd give the chicken tikka masala a fair shot each time, getting a small amount from the buffet just to see if all was right with the world again. Normally he insisted something was rotten in Denmark, but sometimes he declared, "It's good again," and made a return trip to the buffet. We, of course, still didn't notice anything funky, still scoffed, and kept going back for more.

A few weeks ago, something changed. This change, as small as it may seem, completely altered the dish and threw off the balance of flavors which made it what it was. Sitar started using dark meat in its chicken tikka masala.

Dark meat is good for a very limited number of things — soup, dumplings, and fried chicken legs. It imparts a unique flavor into any dish which uses it. Using it in a delicately balanced dish — chicken tikka masala, for example — is akin to laying your money down and spinning the roulette wheel. I don't know which of us discovered Sitar's dark side, but we were all disappointed by the new flavor — save one, who has the metabolism of a hummingbird using meth and would probably eat us if we sat still too long.

Upon finding the dark meat, I decided that was my last trip to Sitar. Last Friday around lunchtime, "J" came around and announced a trip to Sitar was in the works — "And you're going!" he added. While I had misgivings, I decided it would be fair to give them one more chance. After all, we might have caught them at a bad time. Maybe they ran out of white meat and were forced to improvise. So I went.

And the dark meat was still there. This unfortunately appears to be a permanent change. And from what I've heard, things are about the same on non-buffet days.

So I fully endorse "J's" pronouncement. I, too, am finished with Sitar — and I mean it this time. Chicken tikka masala was a classic, and to put it most simply, you don't mess with a classic.

Posted August 26, 2009 @ 20:10:49 EDT. 1 comment.

Comments on "Sitar of India joins the dark side":

Crystal Pepsi > New Coke. (I'm pretty sure I singlehandedly kept Crystal Pepsi on the shelves all through my sixth grade year because it was all I drank. I may or may not have cried when it got pulled.)

And I've never been to Sitar. I always have it in my head that every dish there would be spicy. But good for you for sticking up for all that is culinarily* right.

# Posted by Lisa on August 27, 2009 @ 13:39:27 EDT.

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