Sitar

Sitar’s food is actually some of my favorite in Tuscaloosa.  The Chicken Tikka Malsa is savory, but lightened with the use of cream.  The texture is extremely smooth and the sweetness of the tomato is highlighted by the dairy used in the curry.  Their naan may not be the best I’ve had, but it is still a great medium for the curry.  Sitar’s Gulab Jamun is extremely sweet, but the contrast between the cheese and the sugary syrup provides an interesting end to the visit. Never have I once had a meal that I didn’t like at Sitar, but I bothered by its atmosphere.

When one walks into Sitar there is no clanging of pans in the kitchen, scooting of chairs, music, or chatter from restaurant patrons, just silence, no matter what the time.  The waiters may motion you toward a table and give a small “right this way” as they lead you to a seat, but nothing much more than that is said.  At first, I thought that Sitar was odd because of this, but I remembered the Indian restaurant I frequented in Japan and its relative quietness, and how I never commented on that.  There is something different about Sitar, and I’m not sure what it is.

During lunch at Sitar, there is a buffet lined with steaming hot curries, but the shuffling at the buffet does nothing to help ease the atmosphere.   The restaurant is filled with exotic trinkets and paintings of Indian nobles, but white walls, spaced-out dining tables, and the always empty bar fight against these decorations.  The Indian décor may add something to the atmosphere, but the restaurant still seems bland.  This sort of atmosphere is similar, but different from the restaurant in Japan.

The Indian restaurant in Japan was tiny.  All the tables were close together and the walls were covered in warmly colored Indian patterns and pictures.  The tablecloths were made of Indian silks and were lavishly decorated.  Comforting, appetite inducing colors such as red and orange filled the room.  There was no stark white to pull from the interesting décor.  The waiters were just as quiet as the waiters at Sitar, and so was the general atmosphere.  So, maybe it is Sitar’s set-up that has me so confused.

            I tend to be a rather shy person; social interaction with people I don’t know really well is much harder than it is with my friends.  My experiences have obviously been affected by my own personality, but I still feel that Sitar really brings out the kind of social person you are.  As in, if you are usually shy person, then you will be forced by close quarters or a general social atmosphere to interact with anything, but if you are a relatively social person, then you will be more than capable of creating a social atmospheres that can stand out against the austere surroundings.    

            “So, do any of you think Sitar is just too quiet?  I had to ask.  I was afraid I was just being anti-social.

            “No, Indians are just quiet.”  My classmate blurted out as our waiter poured us more water.  Amanda and I looked at her in disbelief.  “No, really.  Indians are just quiet people.  They don’t like to talk.”

            I was a little taken aback by her statement.  I knew that Indian family meals were extremely social and loud events, but I then I remembered the Japanese Indian restaurant and its quietness. Maybe Indian restaurants are quiet because it’s a cultural thing.  A meal at home for Indians may be completely different from a meal at a restaurant.  It’s not like the restaurant is holding its customers back from creating that social atmosphere.  I feel that food must be tied to a social aspect for people.  Very few people remain entirely silent by choice during a meal and even fewer go to restaurants alone.  People come together over food.  When you get a large enough group of friends and acquaintances in the same spot, there is sure to be conversation.  In that respect, the more people in group a Sitar, the less awkward the atmosphere feels.  The group overcomes the strangely oppressive ambiance.

            For my twentieth birthday, a group of about eight of my friends went with me to Sitar, and despite everything I have said so far, I was able to fully enjoy the experience.  The restaurant was as quiet as ever, but because I was surrounded by people who I felt comfortable with, I was able to create an atmosphere that overpowered the one Sitar provided.  It was the one time that I was able to have both a welcoming social atmosphere and delicious food at once in Sitar.  The fact that this was the sole time I felt a complete dining experience in Sitar illustrates the problem perfectly. Though Sitar’s Chicken Tikka Masala douses your mouth in a creamy mixture of spices and tomato, and their naan perfectly accompanies each and every curry they provide, you still have to make your own atmosphere and sometimes that’s the hardest part.