Masala Kraft Offers A Taste Of India In Hartsdale

Masala Kraft Café, located at 206 East Harstdale Ave. in Hartsdale, offers delicious vegetarian and kosher food in a sleek and clean setting. 

The warm restaurant, which offers authentic Indian cuisine had its 1-year anniversary July 26. It is family-owned and run by Bela Mehta and her brother John. Their website declares:

"Our dream... to run a Bombay bistro offering the savory treats of snack shops back home. An enthusiastic desire to bring a true taste of India to our town emerged. And so the plan began and the goal was set... to create a new-age cafe, blending the exotic experience of authentic Indian delicacies such as tasty toasted sandwiches, dosas and samosas in the comfort, convenience and ambiance of a contemporary setting."

I started out with the Salad Dosa: a Crispy Rice Crepe with arugula, beets, avacado and Monterey Jack cheese. It reminded me of a French crepe. The outside was crispy, soft, warm and tangy all at the same time, and it came with two separate dipping sauces: a lentil curry dip and a coconut chutney, both delicious. The interior was great also. You can't go wrong with avocado, ever.

The next dish was the Papdi Chaat, listed under the snacks section. It was a cold yogurt dish with crunchy flour tortillas. It was heavy on the cilantro, which if you love cilantro, is amazing. I was really getting into this whole vegetarian thing.

Third up was the Masala Kraft—the signature dish. A Vegetable Cutlet with Tomatoes, Onions and cilantro chutney on a focaccia bread, this looked very trendy to me.

The idea of mixing traditional Indian cooking with an Italian bread like focaccia was genius. It came with a generous side of ketchup for dipping. The bread was warm with a crunch on the outside and a soft warm interior. There was a very subtle spiciness, and the cool ketchup gave the sandwich a whole other dimension. The cutlet is homemade with potatoes, green peas, cauliflower, beans, carrots, peppers and onions made into a dough, then grilled with a cilantro chutney.

I had tried two dishes the week prior before deciding to come back and review other dishes:

The Masala Corn which consisted of corn flavored with a blend of Indian spices, garnished with lemon and cilantro. It was delicious, but if you are sensitive to very spicy or hot foods, this might not be the easiest dish to get through.

The Samosa Chaat contained crushed samosas with yogurt and mixed chutneys garnished with lentils and cilantro. It was delicious and the cool yogurt mixed with the tanginess of the lentils, cilantro and lemon works very well against the crunchy samosas.

Overall, I really enjoyed Masala Kraft. The restaurant is small, but there is a good amount of seating for lunch and dinner. They offer daily specials and you can always get take out if you want to eat at home. An added bonus is that if you visit its website http://www.masalakraftcafe.com you can order online and have your food delivered. The hours are Sunday through Thursday 11:00 am to 9:00 pm and Friday and Saturday 11:00 am to 10:00 pm. Masala Kraft is definitely worth a visit if you enjoy authentic vegetarian Indian food.