April 10, 2015 Namasté Restaurant in Rio Rancho and Neighborhood Cocktail Party

April 10, 2015 Namasté Restaurant in Rio Rancho and Neighborhood Cocktail Party

Aaron invited me to go to lunch at Namasté today so I drove to Rio Rancho.  I found it in a small unassuming strip center on Barbara Loop just north of a Goodyear store and the Intel plant. Where else could or should one expect to find an authentically wonderful Indian and Nepalese restaurant. 

  At the Neighborhood Cocktail party this evening I was told the restaurant is owned by a Nepalese family and they retain connections to Nepal, such that they returned to Nepal during the great mountaineering accident last year that claimed so many lives on Mount Everest.

Back to the food!  I found some of the dishes to be very interesting.  The Chicken Tikka Marsala and meat balls dipped into tamarind chutney were very flavorful.  I tried the Vindaloo and it also had great taste but as usual, was too highly seasoned with chili for me to enjoy more than a small bite of the sauce.  The most beautiful dish was a platter of tall round pyramid shaped samosas: wheat flour dough wrapped around a lovely flavored filling of creamy green onion and potatoes and deep fried. I did not think the saag paneer had much flavor nor did the yellow dahl, but their lovely creamy textures complemented bits of the chicken tikka masala with its brightly flavored sauce or brightened when a bit of mixed pickle was added. 

the buffet at Namaste

my lunch

f there is one thing that sets memorable Indian restaurants apart from average ones, it is the brightness of their herbs.  Brightness is something that is rather difficult to describe, like umami.  I did a little research and found that flavor brightness can be enhanced by smoking spices or the use of brown mustard, both of which are surely within the capability of Namasté and common in Indian Cuisine and perhaps Nepalese Cuisine.

After lunch I went to the total Wine store at the base of the hill to Rio Rancho near Alameda.  I went a little wild, buying 21 bottles of wine.  Most of the bottles were cheaper unexciting food wines we drink with dinner most nights.  The two categories of these in today’s purchases were Santiago Station’s Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, both under $4.00 per bottle (7 bottles) and Perrin Reserve Red at $6.79, which is my current favorite red wine (4 bottles).  While I was in the medium priced Rhône/Burgundy wine aisle buying the Perrin, one of the wine buyers approached me and I asked about some of the medium priced white and red Rhônes and Burgundies.  She and I had a lively conversation, because she is a Rhone and Burgundy freak like me, during which I selected eight medium priced bottles of red and white Rhônes and one or two interesting white Burgundies (unoaked chardonnay) to try.

When the manager, Tim Klein told me he would honor the recent 15% off coupon, I even bought a 2001 bottle of Sauternes priced at $29.99 and discounted to $25.49, rated 91.  

This evening we went to the Neighborhood Cocktail party hosted at a home newly remodeled by one of the recent residents in our neighborhood by Bob and Lisa.  Bob is the manager of the local Morgan Stanley office.  They have completely remodeled a house and back yard built in 1948, into a lovely open layout.  I especially enjoyed talking to Bob, who is also a wine enthusiast.  He and Lisa did much of the remodeling themselves and Bob is redoing the back yard now, planting grape vines in a narrow side yard.  Lisa made a wonderful antipasto plate with water packed artichoke hearts, two kinds of olives, salami, asparagus spears cooked to perfection, roasted red bell peppers, and chunks of fresh mozzarella. 

At around 6:45 I baked a box of 32 prepared dough wrapped mini hot dogs made by Hebrew National (Costco, $8.00?) in a 400˚ oven for 24 minutes.  The box recommended 20 to 22 minutes to an internal temperature of 165˚.  I toasted them for 24 minutes since the oven was not fully pre-heated and they were around 190˚ and a little too    toasted, if that is possible with a biscuit and a hot dog. I made a sauce for them using about ¼ cup of Grey Poupon Dijon style mustard and 1 Tbsp. of honey from Los Lunas.  The result was very bitter and vinegary.  I realized I had used too much mustard and began adding more honey and some mayonnaise until I had about ¼ cup of honey and then added about ¼ cup of mayonnaise.  I think the balancing point would be at equal amounts of honey and mayonnaise and a little less mustard.  My mixture of equal parts of each produced a zippy, slightly vinegary mustard sauce.  

We went to the party around 7:15 and were having so much fun talking to neighbors that we stayed until 9:30.  Bob let me select a bottle to open and I selected a bottle of 2012 Walter Hansel Russian River Pinot Noir.   It was a powerful, huge bodied wine that opened up as it rose to room temperature and produced a lovely fruity flavor.  I enjoyed its huge character, but will not switch from my lighter, to my mind, more elegant, pinots.

The theme of the food dishes seems to be what new and interesting food item can one find at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or Costco.  Dale and Jennifer also brought pigs in a blanket they bought at Trader Joe’s with mustard and ketchup.  Diane and Jim brought spanakopita and a bean kibbeh from Trader Joe’s and Chris brought lovely pulled pork tacos from Whole Foods, etc.  A tray of baked cookies and two lovely platters of deviled eggs were the extent of the home cooking this evening.  As the summer progresses and gardens flourish, we will see more homemade dishes.

Bon Appétit