Bring your appetite on Saturday, November 3, for the first-ever Taste of India Dinner at Aerie Restaurant & Lounge. Chefs Mangesh Hegde and Yeshwant Reddy will present a special, one-night-only menu featuring dishes like chicken tikka, dal fry, tandoori salmon and plenty of naan (full men below).

Both chefs come to Grand Traverse Resort and Spa from Mumbai through a culinary exchange program and are excited to present the cuisine of India to Traverse City.

“These are all dishes we would find at a restaurant in India, and we’re using a lot of traditional flavors,” Mangesh says. “There aren’t many Indian restaurants in this area, so we wanted to bring something from home to Aerie.”

Yeshwant agrees. “People here crave Indian food, and they tell me they go to Detroit to get a meal. The second week I was here, we did an Indian dinner for about 15 people in the culinary department. They were so excited that we knew we had to do a bigger event.”

The Taste of India Dinner follows the tradition of the Jamaican Dinner and the Filipino Dinner. Mangesh and Yeshwant created a menu inspired by their favorite dishes and will also organize ordering ingredients and lead the kitchen the night of the event.

Yeshwant said it’s unusual to have so many opportunities to share culture and cuisine. “You don’t get these kinds of chances other places. At the Resort, you can make changes to your food and experiment, and if it’s good, it will go on the menu. You have freedom to try new things.”

The special menu is available on Saturday, November 3, at $35 per guest plus tax and gratuity. Featured beverages will also be available. All ages are welcome.

Call Aerie Restaurant & Lounge at 231-534-6800 for reservations or visit www.aerierestaurant.com.

A Taste of India Menu 

Starters

Chicken Tikka – Skewered chicken with onions and peppers marinated in a spiced yoghurt sauce, tomato crema

Prawns Koliwada – Flash fried prawns marinated in garlic and ginger paste, kashmiri red chili powder, fresh lime

Paneer Tikka – House-made paneer, grilled pineapple, yoghurt and spices, cilantro

Salad

Chickpea Salad – Fresh chickpeas, bell peppers, carrot, cabbage, pine nuts, arugula, and fresh herbs tossed with honey mustard vinaigrette

Curry Roasted Vegetable and Kale Lentil Salad – Curry spiced carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, green lentils, baby kale, tahini, garam masala, yoghurt, lemon

Entrees

(All entrees served with jeera rice)

Butter Chicken – Chicken in a spiced tomato and cashew sauce, garam masala malt vinegar, garlic, ginger, cilantro

Dal Fry – Yellow lentils, onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, cumin, garam masala

Tandoori Tamil Salmon – Barbecued spiced salmon, onion and cabbage slaw garlic, ginger, coriander, garam malsala, yoghurt, cucumber mint chutney, lime

Jeera Rice – Basmati rice, roasted cumin, onion and garlic

Dinner Breads 

(Served with entrée course)

Naan – Oven baked flatbread

Roti – Pan fried flatbread

Desserts

Gajar Halwa – Sweet carrot pudding garnished with pine nuts and cashews

Gulab Jamun – Sweet fried batter dipped in sugar syrup

—Press release provided by Grand Traverse Resort and Spa


Northern Michigan Food & Wine Events

Photo(s) by Aerie Restaurant & Lounge