Indigo brings a taste of India to Rehoboth
Indian food is known for its bold flavors, but those flavors had not found their way to Rehoboth Beach.
That has changed with the opening of Indigo, a new Indian restaurant at 44 Rehoboth Ave.
The people behind Indigo are the Kumar family: son Raghu and his father, Saraj. Natives of Punjab in northern India, the Kumars started the first Indigo in Annapolis. Raghu joined the business in 1992 and the restaurant gained a following, including from natives of the Cape Region.
"This is a family business that has turned into a lifestyle," Raghu Kumar said.
The menu is authentic Indian with such favorites as chicken tikka marsala, butter chicken, vindaloos, naan and basmati rice. Kumar said the menu is small but ever-evolving and features vegan dishes and Indian-inspired meals for kids. He said he will have weekly specials with more vegan, seafood and lamb dishes that are traditionally popular in India.
Of Indian cuisine itself, Kumar said, "It's robust in flavors. It excites your palate more than anything else. It's very different. Our flavors are very different and it's hard to find."
Indian food largely varies according to the region, Kumar said. In places like Mumbai, the cooking is not as spicy as in northern or southern India. The state of Gujarat, in eastern India, is noted for its sweet flavors, Kumar said, while Kolkata, also in eastern India, is noted for having very spicy food. The country has more than 20 recognized languages and even more regional dialects.
"You would never get bored in India," Kumar said.
Worried about spiciness? Kumar said the level of spice can be determined by the customer, from medium to hot.
"I don't want to scare away any of those people who have never tried Indian food but want to. It's medicinal, it has good health values. You can always ask for it. Spices we can always take care of," he said.
Indigo opened its Rehoboth restaurant June 9, converting the former Dough Roller into a space meant to take customers out of Rehoboth and into someplace else.
Kumar said he initially was hesitant to move into Rehoboth because of what he saw as the seasonal nature of the town and because Indian cuisine takes a lot of practice to get right for chefs. But with the support from locals, and knowing Rehoboth is not really seasonal anymore, Kumar plowed ahead, a decision he now feels grateful to have made thanks to community support.
"We've been welcomed with open arms. It feels like home," he said.
Indigo is open from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, call 212-5220 or go to indigorehoboth.com.
