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)
Having lived most of my life in England within 10 miles of ‘the curry mile’ in Rusholme Manchester,I know it is possible to have flavorful, fresh with a heaping of spice unfortunately not here in Fort Collins.
The hard texture of the kulfi was because of the fact that it is not whipped. It is made by simply adding dense milk and “khoya” (dried-and-sweetened milk) to small claypots which are then refrigerated. In the Subcontinent, traditional cooling process involving ice and salt is still a common practice among street-vendors.
I’m happy to hear that we have the same opinion on the best Indian restaurants in Fort Collins! I was very disappointed by all of the Indian food that I had tried here, until I ate at Star of India. I went to college in a big city back East, and a lot of my weekend afternoons were spent curing hangovers with many different and delicious Indian food options. It was the one cuisine that I felt was seriously lacking here, but Star of India comes close to being as good as those places back home.
alright! the neighborhood joint comes in first! i could make a dinner of just saag. also, for after dinner, the kshmiri naan and chai is just right.
OMG – probably the best food I’ve had in the Fort in the past year. I could’ve spent the rest of the afternoon at the lunch buffett! Each of the three chutneys was exquisite; a steam table that was actually steaming; super tasty chili chicken and vegetable pakoras to die for. The saag sagged a little and the achar pickles had an odd bitterness to them but I could not resist two helpings of everything. Spiced perfection!
Right?? That’s how I feel, too
So glad to hear you had a great lunch there!