100 Favorite Dishes: Lamb vindaloo from Cuisine of the Himalayas

Lori Midson

No. 59: Lamb vindaloo from Cuisine of the Himalayas

If I hadn't gotten lost in Evergreen while looking for another restaurant that I'm now convinced doesn't exist (maybe it never did), I never would have ended up in a random parking lot that lays clam to what may be my favorite Indian restaurant in the state. In Evergreen. And if that's not some weird shit I don't know what is, because when it comes to international grub, Evergreen sucks pine cones. But there, next to a frozen yogurt parlor, squats Cuisine of the Himalayas, the town's version of planet Bollywood, and while there are no belly dancers swiveling their hips, no film industry posters, no cinema reel, and no pulsating music, there's something that matters far, far more: the food, a cross-section of Nepalese, Tibetan and Indian cuisines that's focused, clear and simply fantastic. I've searched forever for a vindaloo that gets it right -- one with a pronounced vinegar tartness that's punishingly spicy enough to fight off dragons but not so overwhelming that it obliterates the exotica of spices that perfume the air. I found that here, in the lamb vindaloo, which makes the mountain trek to ever-boring Evergreen worth the drive.

Hungry for more? All the dishes in our countdown are linked below:

No. 100: Italian wedding soup from the Squeaky Bean
No. 99: American Classic Burger (and fries) from Tarbell's
No. 98: E's clam linguini from Mangiamo Pronto
No. 97: Queso a la plancha taco from the Pinche Tacos wagon
No. 96: Prosciutto-wrapped jalapeño poppers from Tony's Market
No. 95: Fried chicken from the Pinyon
No. 94: Seafood soup from Farro
No. 93: Posole from The Porker
No. 92: Breakfast Burrito from the Taco Wagon in Lafayette
No. 91: Hummus from Shish Kabob Grill
No. 90: Albondigas meatballs from Solera
No. 89: Lemon-ricotta doughnuts from Olivéa
No. 88: Döner kabob from Shondiz
No. 87: Roasted cauliflower salad from Euclid Hall
No. 86: Beef cheek enchiladas from El Diablo
No. 85: Fried Brussels sprouts from Panzano
No. 84: Pork osso buco from Osteria Marco
No. 83: Cazuela Colombiana from Cafe Brazil
No. 82: Chicken potpie from Devil's Food
No. 81: Sichuan braised beef noodle soup from Zoe Ma Ma
No. 80: Larb nua from Taste of Thailand
No. 79: Pork shank from Argyll
No. 78: Truffo panino from Shangri-La Cafe
No. 77: Pig-snout tacos from Guadalajara Authentic Mexican Buffet
No. 76: Speck and maple ice cream from Pizzeria Basta
No. 75: Tom yum goong from Thai Flavor
No. 74: South African black ruff from TAG
No. 73: Gumbo from Bistro One
No. 72: New England clam chowder from Bittersweet
No. 71: Celery and lime popsicle from Spuntino
No. 70: Curried split pea soup from Modmarket
No. 69: Mais pizza from Pizzeria Locale
No. 68: Risotto frutti di mare from Firenze a Tavola
No. 67: Frico caldo from Frasca Food & Wine
No. 66: Sea scallop and rock shrimp noodle bowl from Bones
No. 65: Luther Burger from Crave
No. 64: Chongqing Chicken from East Asia Garden
No. 63: Bouillabaisse from Deluxe
No. 62: Crue fries from D Bar Desserts
No. 61: Chili gobi from Jai Ho
No. 60: New Mexican eggs Benedict from DJ's Berkley Cafe

In late 2009, we embarked on a culinary journey that took us through our favorite dishes in the Mile High City -- one hundred, to be exact. Now we're back with round two, counting down (in no particular order) a hundred more of our favorite Denver dishes in a list that, by our imperfect calculations, should be wrapped up...sometime this year. If there's a dish you think we need to try, tell us about it in the comments section below, or shoot us an e-mail at lori.midson@westword.com.