Gently Exotic

New Amber offers a strong introduction to Indian cuisine

Matt Smith

My first encounter with Indian food came across the pond in England, where spice-laden West Asian cooking has supplanted the (ahem) delights of British cuisine as the go-to dining choice. (According to Wikipedia, the source for all things great and true, chicken tikka masala -a Westernized Indian concoction - is now the national dish, not fish and chips.)

That first Indian meal went beyond the curiosity of an "I'm-by-myself-on- a-college-trip-and-I'm-trying- something-exotic" experience. The colors, textures, flavors and surprising comfort-food quality were a mouth-opening expansion from the bland, yellow-gravy-coated palette of my native Central Pennsylvania. (Chicken and waffles, anyone?)

But you don't have to be a precocious teenager - or travel to London's famed Brick Lane eateries - to lose your Indian-food virginity. New Amber Indian Restaurant in Moosic provides a completely competent introduction, with a lot less pretense and/or expensive international travel. Formerly located in a motel a stone's throw down Birney Avenue, New Amber is now well-established at its current standalone location (it picked up the "New" in its name during the move) - and as the Scranton area's sole Indian restaurant.

Like the equally unassuming Indian restaurants I've frequented in other American cities, New Amber focuses on the most popular variations of Indian dishes (typically of the North Indian style) - and it offers a buffet that's tasty, cheap and filling. Most of my visits have been for a quick, inexpensive lunch of naan (puffy baked flatbread), samosas (triangular deep-friend pastries) and whatever chicken and vegetarian dishes are in the offing that particular day. And I can't leave without a heaping plate of buttery basmati rice.

But while the lunch buffet rarely disappoints, it rarely wows either. Fortunately, a recent dinnertime visit - when the buffet area sat dark - proved that there's more to New Amber than stuffing your face for $7.99.

On this moderately busy weeknight, I started with the customary naan and samosas, but then veered toward the top of New Amber's price range for the frontier kabab ($18.95). I can still hear the amazingly long-lasting sizzle of the fresh, tandoor-oven-cooked lamb chops, which were marinated in yogurt, ginger, papaya, saffron and, according to the menu and my taste buds, "medium spices." In fact, the dish lacked that mild kick I usually enjoy in Indian food, but it more than made up for it with the tender, melt-in-your-mouth lamb.

My cohort went for chicken vindaloo ($10.95) - poultry cooked with potatoes in spicy, tangy sauce. He asked for it "hot," and judging by his red face and the tears welling in his eyes, he wasn't disappointed.

While the entrees were spot-on, the evening's enjoyment was aided by a cooling assortment of Indian beers from New Amber's full bar, which took the sting out of a "one of those days" workday. And, as always, New Amber's friendly and fairly prompt staff added to the enjoyment of my visit, as did the restaurant's relaxed, understated decor. (It's a little lighter on the elephant and tiger sculptures than many Indian establishments I've visited.)

Following that supremely satisfactory dinner, I went back to New Amber a week or so later for yet another lunch buffet, which, as always, did the trick. As I enjoyed my midday meal, I was particularly appreciative of the diverse lunchtime crowd. A quick scan of the room revealed a grandmother-mother-granddaughter combo, a pair of young-ish couples, a middle-aged man eating alone while reading a sci-fi book, and a 20-something Indian-American businessman keeping to himself in the corner.

There's little pretense to Indian dining, yet the gently exotic vibe at New Amber is classy enough, say, for a dinner with colleagues or a date (and chill enough to take the awkward edge off that second or third date). Oh, and the food's pretty good, too.