Sitar Louisville Holds Its Own in a Crowded Field

Sitar Louisville holds its own against a flood of other Indian restaurants that have sprung up across the city. Sitar Louisville provides casual Indian dining for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

This Bardstown Road eatery is one in a small chain of six restaurants — all named Sitar — and the only one in Kentucky. Three others are in Tennessee, and the remaining two are in Alabama. Tucked into a building with a Sapporo, an insurance agency, a Penn Station sandwich shop and some other businesses, Sitar still manages to stand out.

Yes, Sitar carries the Indian staples: Chicken Tikka ($12.95), lamb ($12.95) or chicken ($10.95) Korma, Chana Saag or Saag Panir (both $9.95), various fiery Vindaloos and the ubiquitous Chicken Tikka Masala ($10.95). But the restaurant also lists lesser-known regional dishes, such as Bengan Bhurtha, a Punjabi dish of tandoori-roasted eggplant cooked with peas, tomatoes, onion, giner and garlic ($9.95); Chicken Karahal ($10.95), Karahal Shrimp ($14.95), Karahal Aloo Palak ($9.95) and a number of other central Indian dishes; and Rice Pullao, lightly fried rice with peas and cumin seeds, a dish from milder-spicing southern India ($3.95). Incidentally, karahal translates as "iron skillet," which is used to sear in flavor in seven of the dishes on the menu.

All entrees are served with Basmati rice, mint and chutneys.

Sitar serves an extensive lunch buffet on weekdays for $6.99 ($1 more on weekends). Grazing at the buffet provides an excellent introduction to Indian cuisine. The buffet even includes Gulab Juman, balls of deep-fried cheese soaked in a non-cloying syrup; Kheer, the traditional cardamon-laced rice pudding; and Phirni, peach-colored custard milk with pistachios and almonds. (Each of these desserts is $2.50 when ordered separately.)

Sitar doesn't rest on its Indian laurels. The Indian dishes on the menu are supplemented with some fusion items the eatery refers to as "Indo-Chinese," which were created by Chinese who immigrated to colonial Calcutta and were influenced by the native cuisine. This limited Indo-Chinese menu includes spicy Chicken Chilly Fry ($10.95) and Panir Chilly Fry ($9.95).

Sitar boasts a wide selection of Indian beers: Black Fort, Legend, Woodpecker, Flying Horse, Taj Mahal and King Fisher. The restaurant sells beers from elsewhere abroad and the United States, as well as wine. 

Sitar is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 3 p.m. The restaurant is open for dinner daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Take-out orders are welcome.

Like many locations on Bardstown Road's more popular stretch in the Highlands, parking for Sitar is very limited. Be sure to allow extra time to find a parking spot.

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