BOTIWALLA
Susie and I went to Botiwalla for lunch today. I am lucky to live in a town with a large number of Indian restaurants. Among them are my favorites, the restaurants of Maherwan Irani, a James Beard Award winning Indian born chef, Chai Pani and Botiwalla. Both of them have authentic Indian food and both of them a have true ambiance of being transported to India with garlands of marigolds and little details like informing you that the toilets are western style toilets and not the squat toilets of India which no one in Asheville would know how to manage.
By adding the experience to the authentic flavor of Indian food both restaurants are filled at meal time. The flavors at Botiwalla are the flavors of Iranian street food brought into India long ago and are very different from the flavors of the North Indian food that I grew up with in India. Mexican, Chinese and Indian restaurants all seem to adapt to American tastes and gradually meld into the same American Mexican flavors of every Mexican restaurant or Indian American of Indian restaurant, but not Maher Irani’s restaurants. They are authentic to the parts of India where he grew up as a boy. He also has a thriving spice business in tin boxes with lovely pastel shades. Visiting one of his restaurants is an Indian experience not simply a meal.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 