Antique Indian’s Diverse Buffet

The buffet offers multiple chicken and vegetarian entrees. At least one fish main course is usually available, too. The recipes may well be ancient, but they're all freshly prepared with heat ranging from mild to moderate.

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Let’s Eat!

A Family Dollar anchors the Woodland Court strip mall at the juncture of W. Howard Ave. and S. 76th St. Only a little way south in the same mall is one of Milwaukee's newest havens for East Indian eating, Antique Indian Restaurant Bar and Grill (3933 S. 76th St.)

Antique Indian’s lunch buffet is one of the area's more diverse when it comes to subcontinental all-you-can eat spreads. The buffet offers multiple chicken and vegetarian entrees. At least one fish main course is usually available, too. The recipes may well be ancient, but they're all freshly prepared with heat ranging from mild to moderate. Regardless of East Indian cuisine's proliferation in recent years, there's no reason to scare newcomers with spiciness they think could singe their tongue, right? 

Where the Antique reaches beyond its competition is in regularly placing multiple goat dishes in the buffet. Complementing that wider protein selection is not merely plain naan, but a variation of the puff bread with distinct, but not overpowering, garlic flavor. 

Balancing Antique Indian’s spice is some sweetness. Beverage-wise, that’s provided by a creamy chai tea. And the highlight of its dessert bar may be mango ice cream displayed in trays big as those holding the main courses and sides like dahi vada, the deep-fried lentil fritters bathing in yogurt sauce and garnished with tamarind chutney; they're almost a dessert themselves (and I'll confess to have mistaken it as once or twice). Its array of 21 appetizers, 20 meatless mains, and 33 animal protein entrees make for a breadth of choices at should please most everyone. 

During a recent visit, I got my goat again with a medium-spicy order of goat saag. The tender, not very bony flesh provided my palate with the tingle of heat without overshadowing the meat and spinach it enhanced. Ladling it over fluffy basmati rice made it a complete meal representing most every food group.

Dairy got its place in a dessert not I'd tried prior to this lunch. Rass malai consists discs of chenna (an Indian cheese) boiled in a sugar syrup to puff them up like miniature sponge cakes. The discs are then drenched in a rabi (a thickened, milk-based sauce) flavored with cardamom and saffron. I had not expected to end a meal so hearty with a delicacy so fun to eat for its multitude of textures and tastes. But I'd gladly do so again.