Mount Everest Cafe

Over this last summer, I was fortunate enough to go on a week-long rafting trip on the Rogue River in Oregon. OARS hired me as a freelance writer to create a short narrative essay about my first experience with white water rafting. We were in the middle of the Wild and Scenic part of the river, detached from the rest of the world. We were surrounded by black bears, towering evergreen trees, and the thrill of the river, all while leaving technology and the comforts of home behind. Yet, despite the lack of kitchen conveniences, we ate like royalty.  This happened to be a culinary wilderness trip, and we ate dishes like ceviche, pan-seared filet mignon, and berry cobbler. It blew my mind to realize that it is very possible to enjoy gourmet cooking in the middle of the wilderness.

While dining at Mount Everest Cafe here in Fort Collins, a Sherpa-owned and operated restaurant that features cuisine from Nepal and Tibet, I thought that maybe years of cooking experience on one of the most harsh and dangerous mountains on the face of the earth would yield similar skills – the ability to make food taste amazing no matter the environment. But after my first bite I realized that it was a lost hope, and discovered that it tasted more like campsite grub that you gratefully devour because you just survived a bucket-list expedition, and not necessarily a taste that you enjoy while dining in a college city.

Mount Everest Cafe, on the southwest corner of Drake and Shields, began in 2004 when Dawa Sherpa brought authentic Nepalese recipes to Fort Collins. Dawa is originally from Nepal, where his home was a two-day walk away from the base of Mount Everest. He was a sherpa who took tourists on expeditions in the mountains and learned to cook Nepalese and sherpa food in desolate conditions. After moving to the Unites States in 1997, living in Boulder and working in the restaurant industry there, he and his family started Mount Everest Cafe. His brother, sister, wife, and brother-in-law were all contributing founders of the restaurant.

One afternoon I had a lunch meeting there with my business partners to hammer out the details of our upcoming marketing agency. We decided to go for the lunch buffet, just like everyone else there. There were typical Indian dishes on the line, like nan, vegetable samosas, beef curry, tandoori chicken, saag, vegetable korma, eggplant curry, and Dahl soup.

I tried just about everything on the line, and was extremely disappointed. Everything was bland, greasy, mushy, and tasted like cafeteria food. The worst part was the tough chewy texture of the beef in the beef curry. The only saving grace was the eggplant curry – this dish was downright delicious with a slightly sweet and savory flavor, and a very mild spice. Everyone at the table agreed that this meal was a flop.

I came back again for dinner with Jessica. I started with a mango lassi, which had a more sour than sweet taste to it. Definitely not the best I’ve had, and the meal went downhill from there.

We ordered the chicken MoMo appetizer – a homemade Tibetan dumpling filled with chicken then steamed. It was served with a homemade tomato dipping sauce called achar.

These looked like familiar Chinese pot-stickers, but they were poorly made. The dough was thick and chewy, and even undercooked at the pinched edges that sealed the dumpling together. The chicken stuffing was greasy, with globs of yellow grease pouring out after the initial bite. I could only stomach one, and didn’t want to continue with any more.

Jessica ordered the Thukpa entree – A large bowl of broth, egg noodles and vegetables served with homemade naan bread. It was indeed a very large bowl, but it was just as disappointing as everything else – bland with chewy undercooked noodles. However, the naan was tasty.

I ordered the lamb korma, but they were out of lamb, and I had to chose beef korma instead. It was supposed to come with sides of rice and dahl, but only the soup made it to our table.

The dahl had a chalky gritty texture, where the lentils had pretty much disintegrated. For a soup that is supposed to be heavily spiced, it was basically flavorless.

The beef korma did have a good flavor, and I really enjoyed dipping my pieces of naan in the sauce, but the beef was horribly tough and stringy. Quite frankly, it’s the worst beef I’ve chewed on in a very long time. It was no different than the incredibly tough chunks of beef in the beef curry dish I previously ate at the lunch buffet.

After getting full on naan and korma sauce, and leaving a full dish of rubbery beef and oddly chewy dumplings, I left Mount Everest Cafe with a feeling of relief knowing that I’d never have to eat there again.

After living a gourmet experience on the Rogue River, knowing that rustic wilderness is no excuse for bad cooking, I had hopes for Mount Everest Cafe’s Nepalese and Indian cuisines. Sadly, we pretty much ended up eating cafeteria slop.

 

Mount Everest Cafe
1113 West Drake Road
(970) 223-8212
www.mteverestcafe.com

Kid-Friendly? There is a very strange kids’ menu with only a few side-item-type foods. Nothing that qualifies as an entree.

Parking: Parking lot

Healthy Options? Many vegetarian dishes

Budget-Friendly? Most dishes average $10

Recent Health Inspection: Unavailable (site is not functional at this time)

Star of India

The difference between an average meal and an amazing meal all comes down to one thing – flavor. All too often, we are subjected to mediocre food that is constructed with lower-quality ingredients and hardly flavored with any kind of spice. Typically, salt and pepper are the only “spices” used to spruce a dish up.

In my exploration of Indian cuisine in Fort Collins, a cuisine known for exotic spices and intense flavor, I’ve been let down. I’ve had dishes that were laden with one spice that elicited only heat, but not much flavor overall. Except for at one restaurant – Star Of India. There, after only taking one bite of each dish, I was amazed at the complex combination of spices and a crisp flavor that only comes from fresh quality ingredients.

Star Of India started sharing their incredible flavors with Fort Collins in 1997 on Harmony. They closed and moved to their midtown location on Harvard Street right next to Nyala Ethiopian Cuisine in 2008.  Family owned and operated, Star Of India is a restaurant where family members are there all the time taking great care of their guests with swift and attentive service.

Their lunch buffet is filled with a line of delicious options.  They are constantly changing out food, checking temperatures, and keeping on top of food safety. Jessica joined me for lunch and dinner, and as a meat scientist, claimed that this is one of the only buffets she would ever eat at because of their dedication to food safety. Not only that, but they are very clear about ingredients for food allergy sufferers. Dishes are clearly labeled if they contain gluten or dairy.

On the line, they had:

  • Basmati Rice – rice cooked in saffron, turmeric, and bay leaves
  • Vegetable Pakora – fresh mixed vegetables dipped in gram flour batter and fried
  • Peeli Dal – simmered yellow lentils tempered with ginger, garlic, and cumin seeds
  • Tori Aloo – zucchini and potatoes cooked in Indian spices, ginger and garlic
  • Khomba Matter – mushrooms and peas cooked in onion, ginger, garlic, and thick tomato sauce/gravy
  • Saag – ground spinach cooked with Indian spices in a creamy ginger, garlic saute
  • Meatball Marsala – beef meatballs cooked in a creamy tomato sauce with spices and fenugreek
  • Chicken curry – cooked with brown gravy made from onions, ginger, garlic, and Indian spices
  • Chicken Tandoori – chicken legs and thighs marinated with herbs and traditional spices
  • Gulab Jamun – pastry soaked in syrup
  • Mango custard – made from mangos, saffrron and milk
  • Kheer – traditional rice pudding cooked with cardamon and milk
  • and more…

Everything that I ate for lunch was outstanding. The meatball marsala was a huge hit with a rich, savory, spicy (not hot) flavor. The khomba matter was also especially delicious, with chunky mushrooms slices and a mouthwatering gravy. The chicken tandoori tasted fantastic, and wasn’t covered in red food coloring, and finally, the mango custard was probably the most addictive food I’ve eaten in quite some time. I was thoroughly impressed!

I came back again for dinner with Jessica and started with a mango lassi filled with house-made mango rum. It was amazingly tasty – creamy, sweet, and ideal of summer patio dining.

We split an order of meat samosas – puff pastry filled with mildly spiced ground lamb and green peas. It was nice, but I didn’t see any vegetables in there at all, just ground meat. The tamarind dipping sauce was perfect for lathering all over the pastry.

We also had a basket of garlic nan – leavened bread baked with garlic, cilantro and topped with butter. It was fantastic with little crispy charcoal spots that added a smoky flavor, and the garlic was strong, but at the right amount of intensity.

Jessica ordered the vegetable korma – creamy mixed vegetable curry, coconut flakes, coconut milk, almonds, raisins, and cashews. It was worth every bite.

I ordered the lamb jalefrezi – tender cubed lamb cooked with onions, red and green bell peppers, and spices in a thick tomato sauce. The lamb was indeed tender and the entire dish was taste bud-tickling fresh. It did have a bit of heat with the spice, but it was still balanced. I loved every bite, and it was gone after being mixed with basmati rice and sips of mango lassi.

We decided to splurge on some dessert. I ordered the pistachio kulfi – homemade pistachio ice cream made with an authentic recipe. This had an unusually odd firm, yet creamy texture. It is very dense and hard, but when it starts to soften, it becomes smooth and velvety. It was a lovely way to end an amazing dinner.

Star Of India has a tagline – “where spicy does not mean hot, simply delicious!” I completely agree. When the difference between a mediocre meal and an amazing meal comes down to flavor and spice, Star Of India knows how to make that happen without just making it numbingly hot. They are by far my favorite Indian restaurant in Fort Collins because of their impeccably fresh, spicy flavor.

 

Star Of India
2900 Harvard Street
(970) 225-1740
www.starofindiafortcollins.com

Kid-Friendly? There are quite a few kids eating there, but no kids’ menu. But it’s great for them to try a taste of your adult entree!

Parking: Limited parking on Harvard Street with a few spaces in the parking lot behind the building.

Healthy Options? Many vegetarian dishes, gluten-free, and dairy-free options.

Budget-Friendly? Most dishes are between $10-$15

Recent Health Inspection: Unavailable (site is not functional at this time)

Taj Mahal

Daal Baati Churma, Aloo Matar, Paneer Tikka Masala – all of these are common Indian dishes that may seem intimidating to the uninitiated ethnic diner. Most people aren’t comfortable with jumping into a new cuisine without being able to pronounce the meal they are about to eat. But, I can assure you, exploring Indian cuisine is a flavorful adventure.

Indian food has a 5,000 year-long history and has influenced cuisines across the world, especially in Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Using spices like ginger, coriander, cardamom, tamarind, and various herbs, fruits, and vegetables – Indian flavors are bold and sometimes pack quite a bit of heat. It’s also a wonderful cuisine to embrace if you are vegetarian, since it’s a wide-spread practice in the region.

Taj Mahal restaurant has been serving authentic Indian dishes to Fort Collins since 1996. Owner Balwinder Singh chose our city over Boulder and Denver because of our diversified community and quiet restaurant scene (although, it’s not so quiet now in 2012). 16 years is a long time for a restaurant in any community, and Fort Collins has certainly enjoyed what Taj Mahal has to offer. When you walk in the restaurant on Oak Street, right there by the front door is a wall of awards and accolades for their cuisine.

I was joined for the lunch buffet with Betsy from MenuTrinfo one sunny afternoon. The lunch buffet is simple enough – you wait to be seated at a table, then you are free to pile your plate high with delicious scoops of anything and everything at the buffet line. We were given a basket of fresh naan, and then made my way to the line.

I had:

  • vegetable samosa – a crispy deep-fried pastry filled with mashed potatoes and peas
  • tandoori chicken – chicken marinated with spices and roasted in an earthware pot
  • vegetable korma – mixed vegetables cooked in cream, nuts, and spices
  • chicken curry – chicken cooked in curry spices, onion, garlic, ginger, and tomato
  • dal saag – lentils cooked with spinach and spices
  • Gulab Jamun – milk balls in syrup and rose water
  • Gajjar Halwa – a carrot pudding with raisins and nuts

I was pleasantly surprised by how tasty the buffet line was, even though the spices were mild and tame for Indian standards. Everything had a muted slow-roasted consistency that you’d find in stews without any dish particularly popping with intense flavor. The vegetable korma was rich with whole firm chunks of fresh vegetables, like cauliflower. The tandoori chicken had a nice charcoal essence along with its bright red color (that is coming from food coloring rather than imported tandoori paste). I also enjoyed the gulab jamun balls that were basically doughnut holes soaked in a super sweet syrup. The rest of the items on the line were pretty average in taste and quality.

I came back again for dinner with my friend, Ken. The difference between lunch and dinner is definitely like night and day. The feast is plentiful and the flavors are adjusted to your preferred spice level.

We started with an appetizer of papadam  – a crispy thin cracker. It was served with a variety of condiments, like tamarind sauce. We also ordered a dish of alo chaat – potatoes tossed with spices, tamarind chutney, and lemon juice.

The alo chaat was loaded with spicy flavor, covering the slightly under-cooked, firm potato chunks, and large slices of tomatoes. It was a refreshingly cold dish that I could imagine eating during a picnic in the park.

Ken ordered a cup of Masala Chai – a mix of robust spices and herbs that rival many other chai options in Fort Collins. With this, you are allowed up to two free re-fills, which I thought was particularly generous in the first place.

For Ken’s main dish, he ordered the Vegetarian Thali – a combination dinner for one that could have easily fed two. It came with a vegetable samosa, dal (lentil stew), vegetable korma, sagg (spinach puree), paneer (homemade cheese), rice, raita (yogurt sauce), bread, and dessert.

This amount of food was outrageous. Served on a silver segmented plate, it took up a large portion of space at the table. Between his dish, our appetizers, drinks, and my entree, it looked like quite the dinner feast! He ordered his spice level at a very mild intensity, and we weren’t particularly impressed with the flavor. It seems like hot is the only way to go here.

For my entree, I ordered the lamb kashmiri – lamb cooked with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and spices. I ordered it at a medium level of spice. This was quite spicy, even at a moderate level, which was great. However, the lamb was tough and overcooked, and not particularly appealing. The thick tomato sauce didn’t do much to the dish other than cover up the cubes of meat.

The dessert served was kheer – a rice pudding with almonds and raisins. Although, ours came without almonds or raisins.  I was uninspired from this dessert just as much as the other dishes we ate. It was alright, but it was nothing spectacular; just regular rice pudding.

Taj Mahal has been spicing things up for 16 years in Fort Collins, but I’m beginning to think they could step it up a bit more. This was average Indian food, safe for those testing the waters of Indian flavors for the first time, but it’s nothing I’d say that really represents what the cuisine is capable of. Lunch and dinner are two completely different experiences, and while the spice is more at dinner, I actually prefer the lunch buffet. Many people in Fort Collins are fans of Taj Mahal, but there are better Indian options as far as I’m concerned.

 

Taj Mahal
148 West Oak Street
(970) 493-1105
www.tajmahalfortcollins.com

Kid-Friendly? It is! They have some great authentic dishes for the kids, and don’t offer pizza or hot dogs.

Parking: Limited parking on Oak Street. Nearest garage is on Mason, and open lot on Remmington.

Healthy Options? Many vegetarian dishes, a few gluten-free (but not labeled).

Budget-Friendly? Most dishes are between $10-$15

Recent Health Inspection: Unavailable (site is not functional at this time)

Eat Of The Week

Over the weekend, Cohere moved from the address on Jefferson to new digs on South Howes Street. The coworking community here embraces the cooperative spirit, both professionally and personally. So, when Angel asked members for help to move, I volunteered assistance and the use of The Husband’s gigantic truck without hesitation (helping friends move and owning a truck kind of go hand-in-hand).

Within 30 minutes, the volunteer crew had the entire office loaded up in various trucks, trailers, and trunks ready to go to our new coworking home. It only took another 30 minutes for us to unload. Teamwork at its finest. All in all, an hour’s worth of moving time on a Saturday morning was painless – a great workout, and actually fun (because I like the people I cowork with).

As proper moving etiquette goes, we were handsomely rewarded with a lunch of pizza from Pizza Casbah, a couple of cases of New Belgium beer, and a couple quarts of ice cream.

I love beer a lot (shocker), but it tastes even better after a some rigorous physical activity. I sipped on a bottle of Mothership Wit and totally forgot to take a picture, so here’s one from a past beer-pairing dinner – Mothership Wit at the Tasty Harmony pairing.

Because moving and beer are an inseparable pair, and Mothership Wit tastes pretty great, it makes today’s “Eat Of The Week.”

Fat Shack

It’s about time I had another co-review here on Feasting Fort Collins, and after Fat Shack opened, Bronan and I both agreed that this would be the perfect place to dine together. If you don’t remember who Bronan is, just go read this little co-review we did last year at the Macaroni Grill. He’s leaving Colorado, which is sad, so this will probably be our last adventure with bizarre foods in Fort Collins. Boo hoo.

Without further ado – Bronan’s thoughts on our Fat Shack dinner!

 

Sorry for party rocking. Can you ever forgive me?

Have you ever had one of those hard-partying, impossible-to-remember nights? You know, the kind where your frat brothers convince you that the only way to impress that cute freshman girl is by beer bonging a pint of McCormick whiskey while dancing The Shuffle in your whitey tighties? Trust me, that shit doesn’t work. Anyway, for those of you who know what I’m talking about, you also know that it’s going to take a serious sandwich to satisfy serious drunken munchies. Enter your new lord and savior - the Fat Shack!

I’d driven by The Fat Shack several times and casually asked my roommate (a connoisseur of greasy lunchables) if he’d ever eaten at this fine dining establishment. “Holy shit dude,” he replied. “You have to see this place. They cram every sloppy fried item you could ever picture into one fucking sandwich. If you shovel three of them down your gullet in less than half an hour, you get your name on the Wall of Fatass Victory or something. It’s one of those Man vs. Food things.” Choosing this as a menu item is a no-brainer.

I rolled into the Fat Shack after parking illegally, greeted by a few of my favorite things – a huge Jersey Shore poster, obviously-stoned college students and a cute girl working the register. The interior is pretty typical for a Fort Collins sandwich place (a bunch of CSU Rams crap on the walls, floors that are easy to hose late-night puke off of, etc.) as is the staff (apathetic), but what about the grub?

As promised, I ordered the “Fat Shack” sandwich, which contains the following:

- Cheesesteak
- Chicken fingers
- Jalapeno poppers
- Mozzarella sticks
- French fries
- Onion rings
- All of which are drenched in enough honey mustard sauce to drown three squirrels and a hedgehog

Lunchlady Doris, have ya got any grease?

As gut-wrenching delightful as this combination sounds, basically the only thing I could taste was the honey mustard. There was a lot of honey mustard. Seriously. Lotta fucking mustard. I conquered the first half of the sandwich like an invading Mongol horde, but the enemy was proving to be tougher than I had originally anticipated. With the second half visibly congealing, I summoned up my considerable barbarian strength and fortitude, consuming the rest of the greasy food item.

Then grease me up, woman

We finished off the meal with a trio of fried Oreo cookies. The odd, squishy texture put me over the junk food edge, and I had to throw in the towel after one bite. Luckily, my compatriots in fast food consumption were available to take down the traditional Iowa State Fair treat.

The lowdown: I’m way too interested in seeing my six-pack to ever eat here again, but it was fun as an experiment. Everything is greasy as hell and I could feel the diabeetus creeping in with every bite. However, taking into consideration what sort of food this is (stoned-out munchies, brah) and who is going to be eating it (drunk college students), the Fat Shack definitely delivers. If you aren’t too concerned with your waistline and/or are trying to increase the amount of time you spend on the can, give this place a try.

Kid-Friendly? Sure, why not
Parking: Illegal parking is readily available, legal parking may be harder to find
Healthy Options? Where’s the fun in that?
Budget-Friendly? Fat Shack Sandwich: Around $10. Trying to hit on the counter girl with honey mustard all over your face: Priceless
Rating: 3 stars for actual food, 5 poops for how many you will take the next day

 

It was pretty funny to read his review when he sent it over last night. We pretty much felt the exact same way! Although I think I watch more Jersey Shore than he does. Apparently, I’m a glutton for punishment. So, here are my thoughts.

 

When you come here to eat, you know what you’re getting into. The place is called Fat Shack – what else do you think you are going to eat? Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Diet-friendly – if any of those words describe your eating habits, just stop reading now. The Fat Shack is probably the perfect place for anyone drunk, hungover, high, or looking to kill themselves by a self-imposed heart attack.

The Fat Shack was originally started by Tom Armenti in New Jersey, home of the famed MTV show Jersey Shore. I cannot express how fitting that is. The place that brings us “juice head guidos”, The Situation, GTL, and DTF – brings us sandwiches loaded with chicken fingers, french fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and whatever else you can throw in a deep frier. This is the guiltiest of all guilty pleasures.

The Fort Collins location opened August 23, 2011 on the corner of College and Laurel where Gohan Time used to be (R.I.P. Gohan Time). The spot near CSU with students who like to party, fist pump, and plain just don’t give a damn about what they eat is a match made in fatty heaven.

After a steady schedule of GTL for weeks on end, I was joined by fellow Fort Collins bloggers, Bronan The Barbarian and Jessica for the most calorie-horrific meal I could have ever dreamed of, and a co-review with Bronan before he leaves the great state of Colorado.

I walked into Fat Shack at 5:30pm, clearly too early for the usual late-night clientele, took one look at the menu overhead and let out a “Ooooohhhhhhh. Wooooooowwwwww.”

“Yeah, we get that a lot here. Just take your time,” replied the guy at the counter.

I took a printed menu and sat at a table waiting for my eating cohorts to show up. It gave me a great opportunity to digest the menu and appreciate the Jersey Shore poster hung above a black leather couch in a lounge area.

Shockingly, they have “normal people” sandwiches here – a list of grilled options like Buffalo Ranch Wrap, Philly Cheese Steak, and Chicken Parmesan. And?? They do have “FIT sandwiches” that appeal to the health conscious crowd like the Fit Caesar. But what the hell are you doing there if you’re going to eat a regular boring sandwich? This is the place to pull a Paula Dean and pretend this food isn’t going to slowly kill you.

Once the hungry troops arrived, we placed our orders. I decided to go with the Fat Doobie – chicken fingers, french fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and honey mustard dressing.

I unwrapped my tasty calorie catastrophe that looked unexpectedly small, and took the first bite.

Not too shabby! It’s the sauce that makes the sandwich, so I’d recommend asking for extra if you decide to brave the fat. There’s so much junk jammed in there, that you only really taste the cholesterol without a liberal drowning of sauce. My arrogance grew as I took another bite.

“I could totally do The Fat Shack Challenge, but I don’t know if I’d want my name associated with it,” I boasted to my review friends.

The Fat Shack Challenge is an eating competition consisting of three 8″ Fat Shack sandwiches, weighing in at 1.5 pounds. If you eat the three within 30 minutes, you become a Fort Collins food legend. 25 people have taken on the challenge, and only one has come out a winner. Naturally, the winner, Ian Isby, is a Nutrition major at CSU.

I kept eating through the first half of my sandwich, and then my chest started to tighten. This is not an exaggeration – my body was revolting. I joked about congestive heart failure, but that probably wasn’t too far off.

“Oh my god, I’m eating a Gout Sandwich,” I exhaled.

I took a deep breath and powered through. I started on the second half of the one 8 inch sandwich which had begun to congeal and decided that there is no way in HELL I’d be able to eat three of these. They would need to provide me with Wilfford Brimley’s direct number for personal delivery of “dia-beetus” testing supplies at the bottom of my receipt.

I painfully finished my Fat Doobie and my body hated me for it. My mouth didn’t mind so much. And as if I didn’t do enough damage with the fat bomb of a fat sandwich, I ate a deep-fried Oreo along with it.

The Oreo looked more like a powered doughnut with a strange sponginess that grossly reminded me of pitting edema. I took a bite and it tasted divine. It was a miraculous marriage between melted Oreo and powdered doughnut – Manna from the heavens.

After some painful winces and deep breaths, we finished our meals, successfully making it out of there alive. I thought that they should probably give out Baby Aspirin as breath mints on your way out. Or maybe a fried cocktail of Aspirin, antacids, and heart burn medications.

All in all – would I go back? You bet – if I’m drunk, high, or looking to slowly kill myself through heart disease. Best case scenario, I’ve been out fist pumping in Old Town until four in the morning and they deliver it right to the smoosh room.

 

Fat Shack
706 South College, Suite 102
(970) 682-2216
no website, but they use Facebook instead

Kid-Friendly? They have high chairs, but don’t bring your kids here to eat. Just don’t.

Parking: Small lot parking in the back or limited street parking on Laurel

Healthy Options? Surprisingly, YES! A line of FIT sandwiches.

Budget-Friendly? Between $7-$10

Recent Health Inspection: Unavailable

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