Lunch With Betty: Passage to India

Out To Lunch With Betty
One Woman's Relentless Search For The Best Lunches

Passage to India
525 South Front Street, Harrisburg
233-1202

I know, I know, Betty’s been gone for a while. I’ve been on the road, visiting some of the luncheons that this fine country has to offer. But home has beckoned and here I am, ready to return to the delis, diners, and restaurants right here in Central PA. What was it that the girl in the movies said once: "There’s no place like home"? That notion couldn’t have been more right.

My first lunch stop back in the ’Burg was at a spot I have heard quite a buzz about among my circle of friends. By most accounts, I have never been much of an adventurous eater — not straying far from the hearty home tastes I’ve come to love throughout the years — but for some reason I knew I’d be remiss if I waited any longer in sampling the exotic tastes of Passage to India.

To my pleasure, the restaurant, located in the Holiday Inn Express complex on South Front Street, had quite a delightful lunch offering — including the fantastic buffet, which is offered every day from 11:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. While I was still skeptical about tasting foods I’d never before sampled, I followed my dining partner to the spread and, with both fingers crossed, dove right in.

To begin the meal, I selected some of the tossed salad and topped it with the house cucumber and yogurt dressing. The salad, complete with ample carrot and cucumber chunks, was fresh and crisp and enhanced by the dressing (which Betty thought had a somewhat sour cream taste — interestingly yummy!). Following the salad, I enjoyed some perfect Basmahti rice drowned with spicy vegetable soup (a mixture of veggies and lentils seasoned with cumin and mustard and fennel seeds). Quite a tasty introduction to a whole new world of dishes, I might say!

With some of my hesitation now dispelled, I returned to the buffet with more confidence. On this trip, I filled my plate with nearly everything the table had to offer — including more Basmahti Rice, Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Tikki Masala, Yellow Squash Masala, Vegetable Saag, Onion Bhajia, Dal (lentils), and Betty’s personal favorite, the baked flat bread, Naan.

Remembering the great things I’d heard about it, my first bite was into the Tandoori Chicken. Red in color due to being cooked in a clay pot, the chicken was just as tender and juicy — and maybe even more so — than any I’ve ever had at a mom and pop joint. It was also delightfully spicy — a nice twist on a traditional favorite! Then, I continued through the array of specialties in front of me — I was pleasantly surprised by the Chicken Tikki Masala (chicken marinated in tandoor, then covered in tomato sauce and mixed with onions, bell peppers, herbs and spices) and the Yellow Squash Masala (a tangy take on the yellow vegetable) — and a bit taken aback by the taste of the Onion Bhajia. While my friend enjoyed his onion, bell pepper, and chickpea flour battered fritter, I, on the other hand must be too accustomed to french fries and baked potatoes. It didn’t slow me down, however, as we continued to finish our meal.

While Passage to India may not be one of the cheapest lunches Betty has ever written about — the total was just under $15 for both of us — it’s a meal you won’t find anywhere else, and the total experience is worth it. The atmosphere is a relaxed, Indian-inspired decor, complete with trickling fountains, the help extremely attentive, and the food, even to tentative newcomers like myself, excellent.

When talking to buffet frequenters — my dining partner spotted a few familiar faces upon our visit — one tip resounded: go often, go hungry, but go a little early or a little late, as the crowd seems to take advantage of the offerings between the prime lunch hours of 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.