Restaurant Review: The Standards

Ambar India & Doodles

Last week I went out to dinner a couple of times and each night we chose a restaurant I’ve been to many times. Sometimes I like to try something new. Sometimes I just like going to a restaurant where I generally know what I am going to get.

Wednesday night was at Ambar India at 350 Ludlow Avenue in Clifton before my very first UC basketball game. (They lost.) It is a staple in my dining out repertoire. I love their Chicken Saag and plain Nan so I had that. Ambar always appears crowded no matter the night of the week. It is my favorite Indian restaurant in town although there are some newer places I haven’t tried. Food is always great and service is always pretty good. I never feel rushed or neglected even though there are a lot of people.

Friday night was at Doodles at 3443 Edwards Road just south of Hyde Park Square. I do not go there as much as Ambar as I probably venture to Hyde Park less than Clifton. But it is one of my favorite places for Chinese in the city, right up there with Shanghai Mama’s. I love their Lo Mein and Crispy Chicken Spring Rolls so I had that. My friend actually had not been there before and he has some type of flat noodle dish. If you are not familiar with the restaurant they specialize in noodle and dumpling dishes with a few other dishes on the menu as well. You can draw or "doodle" on the paper tablecloths with the large crayons provided on the table. We inevitably play hangman. What is interesting to me is the place is never that crowded. We were there kind of late on a Friday (about 9:45) and they close at 10:30 but we were the only ones there. I think their food is great – very flavorful – and service is good so it just makes me wonder.