Before covid, Joy and I used to make the trip to Vernon to dine at Utsav. I posted a review back in…read more2016. Once covid hit, we didn't go out to eat anymore. Since covid restrictions lifted, we've resumed dining out but somehow forgot about Utsav. We remembered yesterday and last night we finally returned. I am very pleased to report that Utsav is still as great as ever! The food is still exceptionally good and the service is still excellent. We were the last couple left in the restaurant and rather than try to hurry us out, one of the owners and chef, Thankachan Joseph a/k/a Joe, came out of the kitchen and joined us in engaging conversation about Indian cuisine and his restaurant. It truly was a most enjoyable dining experience! If you haven't dined at Utsav or if you just haven't gone recently, you owe it to yourself to go and enjoy delicious Indian cuisine, in delightfully colorful surroundings with excellent service. If you're lucky, maybe you'll even get to meet and talk with Joe.

We tried Utsav a few months ago for carry-out. Got to the restaurant at the appointed time, then…read morewaited an additional 25 minutes for my food. I wasn't thrilled but decided to give them another chance. This time dine-in. Service was good, food was decent, but I thought the prices on the menu were a bit high for a small place with minimum ambiance in a strip mall in Vernon. What really shocked me was that the prices on my bill were not the same as the prices on the menu. Entrees were $1.50 more and sides were $1.00 higher. No mention of it on the menu, by the server, or posted anywhere in the restaurant. Not huge differences - 6 to 15% increases, but I feel a bit ripped off to be shown one price and charged another. I know the restaurant reserves the right to change prices at any time without notice. I reserve the right to go somewhere else.

Just had an order of the paneer tikka masala again, which is my favorite go-to here. I tried cheese…read morenan for the first time and it was delicious, as well as the kheer for the first time, which was so good I will definitely be getting it again. It tastes similar to marzipan and has cashews in it that have been softened either from being cooked with the rice pudding or possibly just from soaking. I wasn't expecting the kheer to be as tasty as it was, but it is definitely a new favorite South Asian dessert.

It had been a bit since I visited Fatima's. Not sure what happened but got a big surprise with the…read moreprice increase. About a $4 increase on items. Then the portion sized changed as well. Really. You do one or the other but not both. I haven't seen prices in the whole foods distribution increase that much to warrant that size of price increase. And yes I do follow distribution pricing. Well I guess it was too good to last. Until I see a review that makes me believe they lowered the price or went back to old portion size I won't be back. Sometimes it is better to absorb purchase price a make a bit less than do what you did. I wish you well.

My fiancé and I are big Indian fans and love trying new Indian restaurants. We always pass by this…read moreplaza but forgetting that Peppers is here. One Thursday evening we wanted to go out for dinner but didn't have a plan on where. My fiancé was just driving and we saw Peppers and was like, ok, today is the day! The parking lot was decently packed so that was a good sign. Upon entering, we did not realize how large the inside of the restaurant was. Plenty of seating and there was another room on the other side with even more tables. Our waitress asked if we would like to look at their buffet options and after a quick look, we decided to just order off of the dinner menu for our first time. The place was a tad bit warm for my liking, but hopefully that's only because it was 50° outside. I always get the chicken tikka masala when I try new Indian restaurants as a baseline on how I determine if I liked their curry. My fiancé was a bit more adventurous and tried the Karaikudi chicken. We got two orders of naan, the garlic and bullet, and shortly after our food arrived. I went over to wash my hands before feasting and saw there were sinks lined against the wall.. The soap dispenser worked but none of the sinks had running water. So, I headed over to the bathroom, soap in one of my hands. The tikka masala was on the thicker side of what I'm used to, and was not as red compared to other places. I appreciate the light use of red food coloring, but the thickness of the curry kinda threw me off. I also asked for it spicy but this tasted more of a medium level, when I wanted that nose-dripping sweating feeling. I appreciated the amount of chicken that came with it, but it wasn't as fall-apart tender as I would have liked. It also seemed as though this was made in bulk and just scooped out when ordered because it was just warm and not as hot. Not my favorite tikka masala, but I would try another one of their dishes. My fiancé thoroughly enjoyed his Karaikudi chicken. He ordered his as medium spicy but it came out spicier than my dish. His was also a lot hotter in temperature so I enjoyed it more as well. He had a pleasant experience and would return. The naan was the star of the show. I enjoyed the slight crisp and chewiness and it paired well with the curries. I did not appreciate how the hot curries were served in plastic dishes as that is not the best for your health. For something that high in temperature they should consider investing in ceramic dishes. We were also given cheap plastic black dishes to eat on. I was curious about how much the buffet costed so I asked our waitress. I'm not sure if it was her thick accent but I'm pretty sure I heard $49.99 per person. Holy cow. We were there for dinner time but what an incredibly steep price! My fiancé and I ended up spending around $50 with enough food to also take home with us. We cannot justify $50 per person without food to take home. Indian is an incredibly dense and heavy food to consume! I'm really hoping I misheard her, but if that wasn't the case, we wouldn't try their buffet and just order off the normal menu. Overall, we may return to try again. I was pleasantly surprised at the service and ambiance of the place. From our experience, we usually order take out at Indian restaurants because the service is usually lacking, the vibes aren't right, and there's usually a finger in our food as it arrives to our table. The servers had gloves on here and there was an Indian soundtrack playing in the background. Lots of different people were present and service was pretty tentative. Other than the buffet price, I'd say the normal dinner menu's prices were pretty comparable to most others. The service, naan, and my fiancé's dish were a win, and might be enough for us to return on our next Indian night out.

The food was delicious but the service was mediocre at best. We were the only ones eating and…read moreordered lamb vindaloo , tika masala and masala dosa. The first two dishes came out fairly quickly but the dosa didn't come out till my two friends were almost done with their meal. We had to hunt the waitress down and asked twice before they brought it over. If you want flavorful Indian food just bring your patience!

BEST! 5- Food Truck?…read moreRestaurants are on notice ... this food truck is out to take your business. The food here bridges the gap between "restaurant" and "home" Indian food. Bold flavors that also allow subtle aromatics to shine! No wonder the people in line came from Worcester, MA to Manchester, CT just for this food. Beats 90% of the Indian fare in CT. And I only say 90% to reserve for others I haven't yet tried.

**Mayabazaar: Creative Concept, Underwhelming Execution**…read more You can't miss the Mayabazaar food truck when you spot it--the exterior is a creative mashup of Indian cinema meets Marvel, with Bollywood and Tollywood actors' faces photoshopped onto the Avengers. It's quirky, fun, and definitely gets your attention. We went in with high hopes and hungry stomachs. Here's where we might have gone wrong: Mayabazaar apparently specializes in South Indian food, but we decided to venture into their Indo-Chinese offerings instead. We ordered chicken fried rice, chicken Hakka noodles, chicken lollypop, and--staying closer to their wheelhouse--South Indian thagubothu chicken. The verdict? Everything was just...meh. Nothing had that standout flavor or quality that would make you think, "I need to drive out of my way for this." We were two families, seven people total, and we sampled what felt like a rainbow of preparations from their menu. The food wasn't bad, per se, but it wasn't memorable either. None of us have made the trip back. Hartford County already has a crowded field of Indian restaurants, each claiming authenticity and trying to carve out their niche. Mayabazaar has real potential--the creative branding shows they're thinking outside the box. But potential only goes so far. The execution needs to match the concept. Maybe we should have stuck with their South Indian specialties instead of the Indo-Chinese route. But when a restaurant offers a diverse menu, everything on it should be worth ordering. For now, Mayabazaar remains just another option in an already saturated market.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

This spot is mainly for take out. But they have a table for dine in service. We sat and were given…read morebottles of water with the meal to start. I wanted everything on the menu but stuck to paneer because I can't get enough of it. We shared two different paneer dishes with naan and rice. Portions were huge and everything was incredible. The staff was super friendly and made us feel welcomed even in such a small space. We have been back for take out a few times since and loved everything we got. Next up I plan to order catering!

The food was okay, the portions not that good. The flavor was kinda bland, but chicken 65 crispyread more

My favorite Indian spot!! You really need to know where this place is to find it... but when you…read moredo!!! The restaurant itself is small, only about 6 tables - but that's because most of their business is to-go and delivery orders (non-stop). But we live close so don't mind eating in. Family operated so front-of-house is the wife, back of house the husband. So friendly and attentive will answer any questions you may have. Food is delicious!! And well-priced. You always feel like you got plenty of food for the cost. Curries are never to oily, chicken is always tender and so flavorful. Highly highly recommend!!!!

YUMMY! You all not be disappointed. Spices on point. If you say Makeit spicy, they will!…read moreFlavors on point every time. You won't be disappointed!!

On a Sunday night, they weren't very busy. And I wonder why? This place was one of the best…read morerestaurants in Connecticut!!! In my experience, CT is full of unauthentic and flavorless food. NOT PASHA! wow. The complimentary bread and butter, which they serve you a mountain, is soft and fresh. Almost like a foccacia mixed with a fluffy pita. Sigara borek was phyllo rolled with feta inside. Any cheese lover would enjoy. The flakiness was perfect. Gozleme patato could have used more filling. I didn't really taste for feel the cheese. It did have peppers in it and boosted the flavor! Mixed chicken platter had A LOT of flavor and it was a great way to showcase each individual chicken dish. My favorite was the juicy kebab chunks. Shoutout to the doner as well! It was very flavorful and juicy. For dessert we ordered the knafeh. Cheesy, buttery, sweet, and crunchy. Very comforting and worth the 20 minute wait

Last night we went to dine at Pasha. It was genuinely a very pleasant experience all throughout…read more Pasha is a Turkish restaurant. The interior is elegantly styled and comfortable. They had a beautiful Turkish Moroccan Mosaic lamp hanging right at the front. I was surprised they had cocktails and alcoholic beverages available. This is not typical in Middle Eastern restaurants. The prices were very reasonable I had to do a double take that they weren't mocktails. Their menu features plenty of traditional meaty options, some fresh salads and appetizers. I first started with their mojito. This was fresh and minty. A delightful cocktail. Their complimentary bread, was pillowy and fresh. Be careful, it is easy to overdo it with this delicious bread. For an appetizer we got a serving of their Babaganoush. This was an excellent pairing to that bread. This was incredibly tasty, you could taste the the eggplant, the olive oil and the lemon juice, together they created a super dreamy creamy combo. I got their version of a Gyro Quesadilla. This arrived with four very generous portions. It was filled with tender lamb and melted cheese. We got a Greek salad to share. This salad was very generous in its size, it was very fresh and tasty. We concluded with their chocolate cake. There were plenty of other traditional dessert options. This cake was very chocolatey and fresh. The top layer was very dark chocolate to me. We had a very pleasant first time at Pasha.

Great dosa and very nice staff. Delicious sambar with chutneys that taste very fresh! Would…read morerecommend the coconut chutney in particular! Definitely checkout this place for some authentic and delicious dosa!

Their fried fish 65 is great!! Green chilli chicken in appetisers is also great...and they can…read morereally turn up the heat. So be careful if you are going to say "make it spicy!" lol!! It's byob...so great if you want to have your choice of drinks with hot n spicy appetisers. Dosas and other Indian fare is the usual. Hope they can maintain the consistency.