Too Damned Far

Shahnawaz Halal Tandoori

Location Info

Map

Golden Triangle

7011 S. Greenleaf Ave.
Whittier, CA 90602

Category: Bars/Clubs

Region: Southeastern Cities

Photos

0 user reviews	Write A Review
Save to foursquare

Johnny Rebs' Southern Roadhouse

4663 Long Beach Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90805

Category: Restaurant > Southern

Region: Out of Town

Photos

Noriega Hotel

525 Sumner Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93305

Category: Restaurant > Basque

Region: Central California

Photos

Renu Nakorn Restaurant

13019 E. Rosecrans Ave., Ste. 105
Norwalk, CA 90650

Category: Restaurant > Thai

Region: South Bay

Photos

Shahnawaz Restaurant

12225 E. Centralia St.
Lakewood, CA 90715

Category: Restaurant > Pakistani

Region: Southeastern Cities

Photos

Related Content

• Top Five Most Exciting Lebowski Fest Moments
  March 7, 2013
• Marco Ramirez's The Royale and Theatre Movement Bazaar's Hot Cat Make Old Stories New
  May 9, 2013
• Fall Drinks, Part 2: The Old Fashioned
  November 7, 2012
• Palmdale Thief Bashes Walmart Greeter Over Head With Liquor Bottle When Asked for Receipt
  June 22, 2012
• DesertXpress: High-Speed Train Will Run From Vegas to Palmdale, Serve Booze
  June 8, 2012

More About

• Johnny Rebs
• Renu Nakorn
• Shahnawaz Halal
• Indian Food and Cooking
• Foods

I've been to Shahnawaz repeatedly to order mirch ka salan -- a thick stew the approximate yellowy tan of a camel's flank, heady with the scents of garlic and ginger, bound with a pungent, grainy mortar of ground spice -- every time. There's also nehari, a spicy beef stew flavored sharply with ginger; haleem, a gentle mash of pounded meat cooked with grain, not unlike the Persian dish dizi; and paya, a rich, clove-scented stew of beef and ox tendon cooked to a melting tenderness. On weekends, there is a very nice biryani, basmati rice cooked with butter and sweet spices and tossed with chunks of lamb. And consider the tandoori mix plate: a rare lamb chop, subtly smoky, crisp at the edges; a few pieces of bright-red marinated chicken tikka that spurt juice like chicken Kiev; a ruddy whole chicken leg; several inches worth of spicy minced-lamb kebab; a tart pile of yogurt-marinated roasted beef -- all for about $7.95. 12225 E. Centralia Ave., Lakewood; (562) 402-7443. Open Tues.­Sun. 11:30 a.m.­9:30 p.m. Dinner for two, food only, $10­$14. Lot parking. Takeout and delivery. No alcohol. AE, Disc., DC, MC, V.

Standard Sweets & Snacks

There may be nothing quite so soothing after a spicy meal as a great Indian rasmalai, freshly made cheese with the open, slightly spongy texture of really good fresh cottage cheese, simmered in thick milk and then chilled, sprinkled with crushed pistachio nuts, perhaps flavored with a bare hint of rose water. Dahi vada is something like a spiced Punjabi lentil cookie cosseted in cool, sour yogurt. The crisp samosas are stuffed with the inevitable potato. Channa, or curried whole chickpeas, come with a deep-fried puff of yogurt bread fresh from the fryer and almost the size of a basketball -- before it deflates into something that tastes like Navajo fry bread. You'll find most of the usual South Indian snacks -- the steamed rice cakes called idli, the lentil pancake uttupam -- and a sensational version of the Ping-Pong-ball-size breads pani poori. But everybody around you will be eating the masala dosa, a burnished crepe rolled around gently curried potatoes into something the size of a Louisville Slugger, served with a small bowl of vegetable curry. 18600 S. Pioneer Blvd., Artesia; (562) 860-6364. Open Tues.­Sun. for lunch and dinner. Lunch or dinner for two, food only, $7­$9. No alcohol. Street parking. Takeout. Disc., MC, V (over $10).