Veerasway-844 W. Randolph St.-West Loop

Maybe I’ve been spoiled by Devon Street. Maybe Mt. Everest’s lunch buffet in Evanston is too good. Whatever the case, Randolph Street’s new upscale Indian restaurant, Veerasway, didn’t do it for me. And I’m not. I understand that this restaurant’s not trying to be completely authentic; they even have a section of the menu entitled ‘Indo-American’. The food’s just not that good. Okay, okay. Disclaimer: We only had appetizers and drinks at the bar. But I felt and will continue to feel that it’s enough to determine if you’re going back to a restaurant.

Although usually out of my price range, I’ve been a big fan of the Randolph Street restaurant row for some time now. These restaurants are fresh, hip and mix food with atmosphere really well. This restaurant is no exception when it comes to atmosphere, at least. I love the exposed brick walls, the brown tones and the calming light. The bar is tiny, but the restaurant is open and spacious. Our bartender was friendly and fairly helpful, although not too interested in cleaning up all the empty glasses covering the bar.

Let’s start with drinks, shall we? I had a glass of delicious Sauvignon Blanc, which I thought would perfectly accompany spicy foods. It did. But let’s move on. The BF had one of their ‘signature’ cocktails- the Bengali Tiger. I would almost come back for this drink alone, but the $11.75 price tag is a bit much. The key to this drink is the ghost peppers. These ghost peppers, or naga jolokia peppers, added a nice and spicy finish to a drink. Anyone who likes spicy foods, but means that in the “I like Chi Chi’s MEDIUM Salsa” way, should tread cautiously when tasting this drink.

The nice thing about sitting at the bar is that you have a nice view of the kitchen and the meats cooling, hanging from the ceiling. We ordered two appetizers: the Monsoon Mirchi and the Hot Bollywood Lollipops. Mirchi are peppers..stuffed with cheese and fried in chickpea batter. Good concept, no flavor. The bartender told, or rather, warned, us that the peppers may be really mild a.k.a. flavorless. They were. Sometimes they’re spicy, but it really varies. The Lollipops, or chicken drummies, were delish, though. A few sauces to dip them in, but only three for $8! It’s a good thing they serve pappadums with three sauces as a snack or we would have left very hungry.