Guru Indian Resstaurant

Jen and I took a trip to Miami over the weekend, and had the great opportunity to sample a number of restaurants of all walks of life.  Miami Beach, for not being a gastrocentric culture, certainly has its fair share of restaurants that proliferate the main thoroughfares of Collins Ave, Washington Ave, and Lincoln Road.  We were in search of Indian food, to which Jen had only had previous dining experiences at a more upscale Indian restaurant that seemed a bit too costly for a casual night out.  A bit of searching and we decided to take a gamble on Guru.

The restaurant falls somewhat off the beaten path, tucked away on one of the side streets of South Beach.  Stepping inside, there were few occupied tables, which put a bit of apprehension into us.  A quartet of friends near the window.  A couple on their first date, with the woman a good deal more imbibed than the man.  And a lot more empty tables in this small establishment.  Nevertheless, we picked our seat and dove right in.

We put in an order of the Spinach Pakora and the Tandoori Broccoli to start.  The former, a set of fried cauliflower and spinach patties served with a corriander based hari chutney.  Deep fried and a bit salty, but also very satisfying with every bite.  I don’t recall if we were served five or six, but I do remember taking the majority of them when Jen was distracted with the Tandoori Broccoli.  The broccoli was pretty much served up as the name described it- about 2 cups of broccoli seasoned and cooked in a tandoori oven, giving the florets a nice soft and baked taste and texture, and served with a sweet chili dipping sauce.  A very good appetizer, although a bit light in portion.  We were also treated to a a complimentary basket of sliced naan, accompanied with a cucumber yogurt dipping sauce, totally comped.  It began to dawn on us that maybe this place was more of a neighborhood establishment than one of the tourist traps of Ocean Drive.

While waiting for our main courses, Jen plowed through her pinot grigio, patiently waiting for the waiter to come by and ask to refill her glass.

That didn’t exactly happen.

So she waited.  And waited. And then….she waited some more.

And finally!

She got up and walked the 10 feet to the bar, where the waiter stood, face illuminated by the pale light of his crackberry, furiously tweeting away.

Waiter: OMG SO BORED. #atwork

Waiter: MY BLONDE HIGHLIGHTS ARE SO HOT RIGHT NOW #southbeachdiva

Waiter: @SpaceResidentDJ Can you like, put me on the guest list tonight?  And comp me some drinks?  LOL!  UR THE BEST!

Well, at least, that’s what I’d imagine was going on over there.  He was at least, apologetic, and quickly refilled oenophilic’s glass.  Comped.

Nice.  At least there’s some sort of consolation for his nonstop tweeting.  Although we didn’t find out we were comped on the wine until the end of dinner, so it was really just an added bonus.  With Jen being as laid back as she is, which is about as laid back as a Olympic luger going backwards down the side of K2, she was perfectly happy with just having another glass of wine.

My girlfriend rules.

Our entrees came quickly thereafter.  For the main event, Jen ordered the Channa Masala-  her default vegetarian dish of choice.  It’s never quite prepared exactly the same way from restaurant to restaurant, so she does get a bit of variety in it, but in the end, the basic premise remains the same.  Chickpeas cooked in a tomato and onion gravy, infused with varying amounts of turmeric, coriander, garlic, chilies, garam masala, and a host of other spices.  Nothing too outstanding about the way Guru prepared this dish, but at the same time, she was satisfied with it all the same.

I ordered the Nilgiri Korma, which really intrigued me from the moment I saw it on the menu.  Beef cooked in an almond, yogurt, and coconut curry sauce.  It sounds odd, which is exactly why I ordered it.  Truth be told, it was actually a good deal better than I had expected.  The creamy curry sauce with a slow simmered beef was exactly what I needed.  I skipped the mountain of rice that came with the dish, but made sure to consume the rest of the sauce with the mini salad at the base of the rice.

I suppose somewhere in there the waiter realized he screwed up, and we were presented with a Gulab Jamun, completely comped.  The best I could describe it (since it doesn’t appear on the menu) is a pair of gelatinous balls of dough, soaked in syrup, and served in an martini glass filled with ice cream and whipped cream.  Jen, the trooper that she is, took down the majority of the dish since I was trying to behave and not stray too far from my diet.

Guru’s a pretty good restaurant amongst the throng of pizza parlors and sushi dens that litter South Beach, and proof you don’t have to pay a king’s ransom to get a good meal.  As it goes with most places near the beach, gratuity is included in the bill, so not only should you not feel inclined to tip more if you don’t feel the service was up to snuff, you should also expect the service to be a bit more lackadaisical than you’re used to.  Having been comped the free basket of naan, a glass of pinot grigio, and a dessert, how could you go wrong?

See Guru Indian Restaurant on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Vegetarians
• Bollywood Buffs
• Sauce lovers
• Paleo heads

Not Recommended For:

• Attention Whores
• Carbophobes
• Bargain Diners
• Dinner before getting that tattoo you’ve always wanted at Miami Ink