Restaurant Week: Win an Indian buffet for two at Ella’s

August 17, 2009 9:47 am · By Dustin · 82 Comments

NOTE: This contest has ended.

It’s Restaurant Week in Fayetteville, and that means deals galore to about 30 dining establishments around town. It also means that we have a stack of gift certificates to give away just burning a hole in my desk over here, so howsabout you guys take some of these off our hands?

Ella’s Restaurant inside Carnall Hall freaked everyone out a few months ago when they became one of the only places in all of Northwest Arkansas to serve Indian food. What started as a Tuesday lunch special went so well that Ella’s began offering the Indian buffet on Saturday too, and kapow, now you can get Indian food in Fayetteville at least two days a week.

If you’re lucky, you can try some of the only Indian food in Fayetteville for free. Here’s how.

What you’ll win: A gift certificate for an Indian buffet for two from Ella’s.

How to enter: Tell us what your favorite Indian food dish is in the comments of this post and you’re entered. If you’ve never even tried Indian food and you have no idea, just say so. We’ll select one winner at random from the comments. Pretty easy, right?

A few rules (read ‘em carefully):
1. You may only enter this specific contest once. If you enter this contest more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified.
2. This contest is open to anyone anywhere except Fayetteville Flyer writers and their immediate family members.
3. Contest is open until 11:59pm CST tonight, August 17th, 2009.
4. Make sure you leave a valid e-mail address when filling out the comment form since that’s how we’ll contact you if you’ve won.
5. You’ll have to provide us with your first and last name, and mailing address if you win. Then, we’ll mail you the gift certificate.

Good luck. For more info on Restaurant Week, visit the Dine in Fayetteville site.

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Discussion

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By David Franks on August 17th, 2009

I spent a summer in England. Much as I like meat and potatoes, any Indian dish is an improvement over yet another plateful of earth-tones.

By DTabler on August 17th, 2009

Chicken Korma, Sag Paneer, with a side of samosas = my favorite Indian meal. Oh yeah, and lots of naan.

By Courtney on August 17th, 2009

Rogan josh. And naan.

By a. brown on August 17th, 2009

Saag paneer and bhindi masala.

By Brad on August 17th, 2009

Curry. Anything Curry, please.

By Tina on August 17th, 2009

I’ve never had Indian food before but have always wanted to try it!

By Justin S. on August 17th, 2009

Fish Balls. A friend of mine had her mother over from Nigeria for a few weeks. Very different taste but amazing. Only slightly spicy though. I have had other stuff that is close in greatness but cannot remember the names.

By Ryan on August 17th, 2009

I have never tried Indian food, but have heard about Ella’s buffet and want to try it.

By Jess on August 17th, 2009

I’ve never gotten to try any Indian food. It looks delicious though. Pick me!

By Michelle Hedegard on August 17th, 2009

Chana Masala and tons of naan. Oh yeah.

By Tiff Wimberly on August 17th, 2009

I would start out with an order of samosas and pakoras. I would probably request a steady stream of naan and chapatis as I am pretty sure I can eat my weight in that stuff. I would order mutter paneer aka peas and cheese and saag paneer which is spinach and cheese. Also, some sort of curry over a bed of basmati and, of course, allo gobi.

By Melissa Taylor on August 17th, 2009

Chicken Tikka Masala with naan & raita. Yum!

By Joel Taylor on August 17th, 2009

lamb korma & naan bread – mmmmm

By Collin on August 17th, 2009

Chicken Tikka!

By Laura on August 17th, 2009

Veggie Curry…..yummy!

By Mike Clark on August 17th, 2009

Chana masala, oh yeah!

By Brian on August 17th, 2009

Naan bread and anything with curry!

By kasey on August 17th, 2009

lamb vindaloo!

By Grace R. on August 17th, 2009

Palak Paneer finished off with Gulab Jamun =)

By Me on August 17th, 2009

I haven’t had much, but I love curry and chicken tikka masala.

By mel5545 on August 17th, 2009

I’ve never had any indian food… I’ve been meaning to get by there to try it out. Hopefully you guys can hook me up so I can eat for FREE!

By bo on August 17th, 2009

naan with yogurt sauce!

By Beebs on August 17th, 2009

Chicken or pork Vindaloo please.

By Christine on August 17th, 2009

My mom makes these amazing turkey patty things you dip in yogurt sauce with eggplant and chickpeas. I crave this dish.

By A Prospect on August 17th, 2009

Masala and naan!!

By Allen on August 17th, 2009

palak paneer.

By Leslie on August 17th, 2009

Chicken vindaloo!
Samosas are also acceptable.

By Lincoln's Mullet on August 17th, 2009

chicken satay .

By LN on August 17th, 2009

I’ve only been to an Indian restaurant once; I liked the dishes I had but cant recall the names. Oo, except for naan–loved that.

By Scott on August 17th, 2009

I had an Indian neighbor a few years ago that would bring things over from time to time. Sadly I don’t remember the name of any of the dishes.

I do know that I would like very much to try Ella’s Indian buffet though.

By Casi Leigh on August 17th, 2009

You know, never tried it before! My fiance constantly tells me how fabulous it is. Would love to give Ella’s a spin.

By Logan LeMaster on August 17th, 2009

Phall or Vindaloo. Anything spicy. I do enjoy anything served on na’an (yogurt, et al).

By hogsbreath on August 17th, 2009

Saag paneer, and Taj Mahal beer.

By George on August 17th, 2009

I can never remember the names of anything. That applies to a lot of things…food, people, pills.

Anything with lamb and/or spicy curry is good for me.

By Milky on August 17th, 2009

I will second Brian and say naan and anything with curry.

By sofresh-n-sogay on August 17th, 2009

paneer korma!

For those looking to try authentic indian, I wouldn’t count on Ella’s to deliver. Some of the spices they use are used in Indian food, but it is far from good Indian, or good food for that matter. Ella’s manage to butcher Kheer by serving a dried up ball of rice with too much cardamom, the naan is a slab of pre-made overly dry bread that only resembles naan in shape, and every curry they have is watery and bland. Indian cooking is an artform, requiring a careful and delicate mix of wonderful spices, and the Ella’s folks aren’t even ready for a coloring book. I would hate for this to be anyone’s first taste of “Indian food.”

Unfortunately, our neck of the woods doesn’t have a lot to offer in the way of Indian, and while it is far from the best Indian, India Corner (rogers) is much better than Ella’s. The chicken tikka masala is pretty good.

Please don’t consider this an entry. I wouldn’t eat there for free.

By Chef Lyle on August 17th, 2009

@ sofresh-n-sogay- Whoa there buddy, calm yourself. I have read some of your comments on my Indian Buffet in the past, and I’m not sure why you specifically are so hateful. First off, each spice that I use is bought whole, then toasted, picked, and ground. I do not buy premade blends or pastes, because I can make them better than store bought. Nor do I make huge batches of curry bases which is pretty common in U.S. Indian Restaurants. Each curry is made in a separate pot with a specific spice blend that compliments its ingredients. I have served over 3,000 customers Indian Food in the past four months on Tuesdays alone. I cook over 600 pieces of homemade naan during each buffet and I have close to 100 Indians who regular my restaurant. I respect your oppinion but i have to defend myself and all the hard work put in to preparing and serving this very popular lunch buffet.

By Katie on August 17th, 2009

I’ve never had Indian food, but I do love trying new things, and I love curry. I haven’t even been to Ella’s yet. Yikes! I really would love to get the chance to go for free!

By Stephen V. on August 17th, 2009

I still dream of the VEGGIE FRITTERS in coconut soup I once enjoyed in the 70’s after hitchhiking to NYC.
Yes twitter fans, such things were possible back in the day.

By Laurie from HOPE on August 17th, 2009

I’m so bad… I don’t know the names of anything but Naan! But I love the Ella’s buffet, and would sing your praises to the heavens if I were to win free lunch. :)

By Jennifer on August 17th, 2009

Chicken biryani, gobs of naan, and just about any curry dish. Yum!

By Fayettenamese on August 17th, 2009

Lamb Curry. And whatever that colored birdseed looking stuff is.

By April on August 17th, 2009

There was a spicy red bean dish that I absolutely adored. It was the spiciest one I tried and I don’t know the appropriate Indian name, but the chef said it was his favorite too. Very tasty sauces and perfect spicing.

By Dlorah on August 17th, 2009

Chana Masala!

By Randy Green on August 17th, 2009

Rogan Josh!

By Nicole Paz on August 17th, 2009

You know, I’ve had Indian food, but I can’t remember any of it.

By ddpgallery on August 17th, 2009

veggie korma, naan, daal, raita, somosas, fritters, vindaloo.
The question should be – what won’t one eat.
I’d gladly trade one of our Thai restaurants for a full-time Indian restaurant.
I’ll even provide the Christmas lights. Please!

By Toughguy on August 17th, 2009

Saag paneer

By Bob on August 17th, 2009

Ella’s Indian lunch buffet is by far one of the best I’ve had. Their homemade naan with yogurt sauce is Delish!

By jemstone on August 17th, 2009

veggie curry, naan…yum !

By sofresh-n-sogay on August 17th, 2009

chef, not hating on you. I’m sure you’ve got some skills; your Indian just doesn’t taste authentic to me.

I’ve desperately tried to like the Indian buffet you offer, and of the five times I’ve given it a chance, I have never been happy with the offerings. The last time I went took a lot of coaxing from friends who said that the food had improved, but the only thing that got better for me was that the rice was not mushy and overcooked.

Some people may like it, but I’m just trying to share my opinion. It is nice to know that you use fresh spices and small curry batches, but that doesn’t really matter when the appropriate flavors are not in the dish because the spice blends are off. sorry about thinking your naan wasn’t fresh, but even if you were to cook that recipe properly in a Tandoori, it would still not be of the proper texture and flavor.

I do appreciate the effort to try and offer Indian food in Fayetteville, but I don’t like to mislead people into thinking that this is what Indian food tastes like. i would prefer them to explore their palate, and by all means, compare your food to Indian restaurants if they have the means.

That said, I do like your fried bananas and chutney and hope the other dishes improve.

By sofresh-n-sogay on August 17th, 2009

looking back at my first post, it was pretty harsh. my bad. I still stand by the general notion presented, just should have been nicer about it.

By Rachael on August 17th, 2009

I made chicken tikka masala once. I’d love to try something authentic.

By Jason on August 17th, 2009

Chicken biryani. It’s sweet, spicy, great looking, and tasty. It’s cold cold, hot, and warm!

By Steven on August 17th, 2009

Naan. I mean, I’ll eat just about anything that doesn’t eat me first, but I really love naan. And Chicken Tandoori. And a lot of stuff I can’t remember.

By roger on August 17th, 2009

da veggie curry

By Dhaval Shah on August 17th, 2009

Paneer Tikka

By Chef Lyle on August 17th, 2009

Thank you “so fresh” for your honest oppinion. I just felt the need to defend my staff and the long hours they have put in to make this endeavor so successful. As a Chef I rely heavily on my customers input, good and bad. Try us out again sometime in the future (this is officialy a permanent offering at Ella’s now) and if it is not up to your standards I will gladly pay for your meal and discuss possible improvements with you.

By Tiff on August 17th, 2009

Anything from New Dehli Cafe in Eureka Springs. GREAT Indian buffet on the weekends!

By Shana on August 17th, 2009

Curries, lamb, tandoori chicken, naan…but definitely willing to try something new!

By plee on August 17th, 2009

I love curries and fresh breads!

By geeves on August 17th, 2009

I’ve never had Indian food, but i do love to eat!

By WBP on August 17th, 2009

Chole with basmati rice!

By Gina on August 17th, 2009

I had Ella’s Tuesday buffet right after I returned from a month in India…I thought it was fantastic! Some of the items (dessert and naan) were a little more chi-chi (but delicious and welcomed) than I ever encountered, but I thought the sauces and selection were plenty authentic. My fave dish: chana masala.

By sofresh-n-sogay on August 17th, 2009

chef, thanks for being classy and taking my criticisms so well when I came across so angsty.

By Aaron on August 17th, 2009

I like saag paneer and most any curry.

By not to be disrectful but... on August 17th, 2009

It HAS seemed to come up several times by several different people though Chef…maybe a little less defending and a little more listening to the intent behind the statements? I love indian AND supporting local businesses and want y’all to succeed but the things that sofresh said I second. (At least the ones that are in a nice way) Instead of saying what you’re doing (that we obviously don’t think is working) maybe you’ll think about it and take the opinions into consideration?

By Chris jones on August 17th, 2009

Not sure of my favorite…always had buffet and don’t know the name of anything. :)

By chancevb on August 17th, 2009

Rogan Josh

By Lisa Sharp on August 17th, 2009

I have a wonderful Indian cookbook (5 Spices 50 Recipes) and our favorite recipe is for New Bride Chicken Curry. I doubt that item is on many menus under that name, but it is oh-so-delicious!

By Taylor on August 17th, 2009

I haven’t really ever had Indian food, would love to try it. I love Ella’s, so I am definitely interested to try it (and make my own opinion!) Great contest, Flyer dudes!

By Michael Williams on August 17th, 2009

A friend of mine’s mom used to make Curry Chicken, I think that’s Indian. Another friend of mine’s mom was Indian, she could flat out cook, but not sure what was from the home country and what wasn’t.

By bottledwaterchic on August 17th, 2009

I generally like any kind of vegetarian sampler, but of the different foods included, palak paneer. I missed Indian food when I moved back to Fayetteville and want to try to make it, but I don’t even know what the cheese is they use in palak paneer. Not a good sign…