Arts, Dining & Entertainment

Little Haveli spices up Rutland’s dining scene

By Brooke Geery

Rutland’s food scene leaves a lot to be desired, especially in the ethnic department. However, things are looking up with the opening of Little Haveli on North Main Street. The Indian joint is set up for quick grab and go, with a lunch buffet Monday-Friday and made-to-order dinner served every day but Sunday. There is also a sizable beer cooler and wine selection, as well as a small market with Indian staples such as chickpea flour and lentils — everything you need to make the dishes served.

There is a small seating area, but consuming alcoholic beverages on premises is not permitted.

I ordered to-go and was quoted about 30 minutes at prime dinner hour. The prediction was accurate within a few minutes, but next time I will call in my order.

Main dishes are served in convenient containers with rice on one side and entrée on the other. I tried the Chicken Dopiaza ($10.99), which is chicken, bell peppers and onions, and Mutter Paneer ($10.99), with paneer cheese and green peas cooked in a ginger-garlic sauce. We also got veggie samosas ($3.50 each), garlic naan ($2.99 for one piece) for a grand total of $34. Not a bad price for an exotic meal for two.

The flavors were fantastic. We ordered everything mild and it still had a pleasant kick. After scarfing up all the solid bits, I was left with a delicious sauce to coat the rest of the basmati rice. That said, the meals were not huge, a bit light on the entrees and heavy on the rice. We (sadly) did not end up with any leftovers.

Little Haveli is definitely still working out some kinks. It was quite busy during my trip on a Wednesday evening, and it’s obvious that the volume is causing some issues. But when I visited everything was available expect the pakora, which had run out.

I think things will only improve as time goes on and I plan to head back at lunch time and try the buffet soon! It is definitely a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Little Haveli is located at 46 No. Main St. in Rutland. Food is served from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and the market opens at 8 a.m. each day. Call 802-855-8767 to order and visit littlehaveli.com.

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