Rani and Bobby
“I like food. I like eating. And I don’t want to deprive myself of good food.”
~ Sarah Michelle Gellar
Okay, I know it is a different name for a restaurant, but that is the name of this very popular restaurant at 6246 Main St. (Highway 49) in the town of El Dorado.
It is so popular on the Internet that Urbanspoon gives it a 98 percent rating, Yelp gives it over 4.5 stars and I just think it is wonderful.
Owners Bobby and Rani bought the place with its wood-fired pizza oven in early 2009, and started out with just pizza and burgers, later adding Indian cuisine. All the food is good, but the Indian food, according to everyone I have talked to (including myself), is the best around.
As you may know, I have enjoyed the burgers, pizza and numerous Indian dishes over the years and everything has been excellent. Because the kitchen, the wood-fired pizza oven and the seating area are small, if the place is full you might have a wait, but it is worth it. Remember, good food takes time to cook.
The menu starts with a large list of eight meats, three sauces and a dozen toppings you can put on your hand-tossed pizza. But, if you don’t want to design one for yourself, there are eight speciality pizzas, such as the Chicago Supreme, Meat Lovers, Garlic Chicken, Hawaiian and even a Veggie Lovers.
The burgers, which are made to order with fresh lettuce, tomato and onion, and come with an order of fries and a fountain drink, include: the Chicago Burger, Veggie Burger, Jalapeno Burger, Avocado Burger (yum), Western Burger, Bacon Cheese Burger, Mushroom Swiss Burger and more. They also have fish or chicken sandwiches and, to accompany all the sandwiches, quite a list of side orders and appetizers.
If you aren’t hungry by now, I am, and I still have the Indian food to describe.
The list of Indian dishes takes up half the menu and includes first a list of appetizers such as Papadum, a crisp spicy cracker made from lentil flour and the Samosa, a treat stuffed with spiced potatoes and peas. Following that are the main dishes including just in the chicken dishes, Chicken Curry, Vindaloo, Bhuna, Tikka, Kandari, Saag, Tikka Masala (the most popular dish in Great Britain), Makhni and Mushroom. And there are also two beef dishes, Meatball Curry and Meatball Bhuna. (If you would like a breakdown on what each dish contains, check at their website www.chicagopizzaburgers.com where you will find everything listed).
There are also a dozen vegetable dishes made with potatoes, lentils, garbanzo beans, cauliflower, eggplant, peas, spinach, mushrooms and even okra, cooked a number of delicious ways.
Listed under “From The Sea,” is Fish Curry, along with Fish Masala, Shrimp Curry, Shrimp Saag, Shrimp Masala and Shrimp Vindaloo.
No, I am not finished yet.
Breads, which are an excellent accompaniment for their food include: the pan baked Roti, deep fried Pooris, pan fried, multi-layered Parantha, a spiced flat chickpea Missi Roti, and Parantha stuffed with potatoes or cauliflower or just sweetened.
Oh, there is more, such as plain rice and rice with vegetables, nuts and raisins, along with several kinds of dessert.
They also have fountain drinks, domestic and Indian beer and wine, Indian drinks like Sweet Lassi and Mango Lassi and even a Mango Shake.
As I mentioned before, I have eaten there a number of times and have never had anything that I didn’t love. Also, the people are so friendly and nice, and will take the time to explain each dish to you and prepare it to your liking. In a nutshell, it is a is a family owned and run business that makes great food.
Because they serve pizza, burgers and Indian food, it is very family and group friendly. Get together a group, order several things and share. I have seen people doing that almost every time I have been there and they always seem to be enjoying themselves.
The hours are from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. every day except Monday. For more information call 530-621-3900 or visit www.chicagopizzaburgers.com.
Oh, I should add that there is a lot of additional parking in the lot behind their business and Annabelle’s Chocolate Lounge, which is almost next door. So, if it looks crowded out front, there is always room to park in back.