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Govinda's opens at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights -- and by 5:40 p.m. on a recent weekend, the dining room was already half-full of families and small groups of friends enjoying both the food and admosphere; but 6 p.m., it was tough to find an empty table. Govinda's now offers table service, so after you walk in, fill your plate and sit down, a server will come around with tea offerings and to talk you into some extras (which are well worth the minimal additional price -- especially since Govinda's finally takes credit cards).
Pictured above is a plate full of that evening's offerings: salad from the salad bar drenched in creamy almond dressing; Govinda's homemade wheat bread (which is remarkable); basmati rice (brown is also available) with potatoes, peas and tomatoes; and the entree for the evening, a quiche veggie pie. Other items on the buffet included broccoli and carrots with tahini sauce and crispy lentil papadam wafers.
The soup, a yellow mung dal, was hot and full of yellow lentils swimming in a savory broth with vegetables and herbs. That particular side dish comes with the buffet. One of the paid extras -- the always popular cauliflower pakora -- is $3 for a "small" plate, which is pictured above with a savory tamarind sauce; it's enough to give two people a taste, but you might just want to order your own. (And it's definitely worth the extra price to get this made-to-order, piping hot out of the fryer.)You can sign up for an e-mail list that will tell you what's on the menu for this next weekend -- but we're pretty sure it will be delicious. For more information, visit govindasdenver.com.
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