Alchemy (South Park): How Many Ways Do I Love Thee?

When last we left FoodGirl's favorite restaurants, the current list was:

1.  Grant Grill
2.  Searsucker
3.  Alchemy
4.  Charisma

I think I may be ready to swap #2 and #3.  Brian Malarkey madhouse restaurants are becoming a dime a dozen (really, a fabric metaphor would be better but I can't think of one).  And a quiet, neighborhood restaurant with daring food in this city is a much greater rarity. So maybe I'm ready to swap them.

Either way, Ricardo Heredia is still my #1 favorite chef in SD. He's so creative and loves to reinvent his menu and he's always doing inventive and exciting combinations with great produce.  And he shows a lot of love to vegetarians.

Tonight I finally made to Alchemy for Wed. night prix-fixe vegetarian meal night! (have been tantalized by the prospect for months).

Was every bit as delish as I hoped.

"Indian" theme. I might have been scared off (I can have real Indian anytime), but I hoped a Heredia twist on Indian would not be "less than authentic" but would be its own delicious and original Indian-inspired self.

Sure enough: it was!

WINE: Got an albarino (Algareiro).  Kind of a boring flabby albarino. On the plus side, it was only $7.

FIRST COURSE: Chickpea salad.  Totally original take on an Indian chickpea salad. Delicious chutney, plus peaches mixed in with the chickpeas, and lettuce wraps. Yum and double yum.

SECOND COURSE: Veggie pakora. This is more fried than I would have liked. And they weren't true pakora but more like Indian-inflected tempura.  They were whole sliced vegetables, not fritters. But they were tasty (local eggplant, cauliflower and baby zucchini) with a nice tamarind chutney.

THIRD COURSE: Malai kofta, with fresh nan and a pilaf. Yum. Not at all like "real" Indian malai kofta, but very delicious and rich in its own right.  Tomato was the base of the sauce, I think.

ATMOSPHERE: Totally chill and not too busy on a Wed., but not cavernous. Still fun. Could hear my friend ("BorderGirl") talk.

SERVICE: Always friendly and efficient.

LOVE Alchemy!!!!