Baingan: A Taste of India in Shelton

Sure, Shelton has a lot of great pizza joints, but if you're looking to venture out of that comfort zone and try something new, restaurant on 94 River Rd. offers rich, authentic Indian cuisine against the beautiful backdrop of the Housatonic River.

Baingan, the city's only Indian restaurant, officially opened in March and is managed by Pramod Kandel and Sukra Shrestha, both originally from Nepal. Kandel, a Shelton resident, also owns Mill Variety Store on Howe Avenue.

"We have worked together for almost ten years, he is very much my best friend," Kandel said of Shrestha. The two teamed up to open Baingan in Shelton after having managed other restaurants over the years.

"It's been a long experience," Kandel said. "For ten to 15 years we had been working in this business. We had one [restaurant] in Orange, one in Hamden, so this is our third."

They decided to settle in at the River Road location, formerly Bella Vista Italian eatery, for a few reasons. Number one, they felt an Indian restaurant would be a great addition to the area.

"There is no restaurant in Shelton like this, so that was the main thing. We were looking for a building for about a year and we found this," Kandel said.

It took nearly four months to completely refurbish the place -- an effort that has certainly paid off.

"Everything in here is brand new," Shrestha said. "The kitchen, the floors, the furniture, the dishes -- all new. It was a big change and customers who used to come here when it was another restaurant are very surprised."

But more important than aesthetic changes, Shrestha and Kandel said the ultimate secret to success is a quality menu and quality service.

"We are so happy and excited and 100 percent confident we will do the best here. If your service and food is good, you'll do good. The customers are so happy with the food, the location, the prices, the view...everything," Kandel said.

"Customers are always treated like God, even back in our country in Nepal," Shrestha added. "We respect them and they appreciate it. We're trying to make one of the best restaurants in the Valley and in the state."

And thus far, customer feedback has been nothing short of positive. Shelton's own police Chief Joel Hurliman (who Kandel described as Baingan's "best customer") said he personally recommends the Chicken Patia and enjoys the buffet lunch because "you can sample different offerings and find out what you like without having too much of one thing."

Kandel said Baingan's most popular dish so far has been the Chicken Tikka Masala, a boneless chicken marinated in ginger, garlic, yogurt and herbs, and sauteed with tomatoes and cream.

"It's a very nice creamy sauce. We use a lot of spices, but it's not hot," he said, a common misconception about Indian cuisine. "Spices are very good for the health. People think all Indian restaurants have all spicy-hot food but that's not true."

The chefs at Baingan cook with all fresh meat, seafood and ingredients -- never frozen, rarely fried, and no leftovers or anything re-used.

"We want to invite everybody to try our food at least once," Shrestha said of those who may be hesitant to venture into the tastes of foreign cuisine.

In addition to the usual dine-in services, Baingan also offers take-out, a party hall, a summer patio and catering for any kind of party or occasion "no matter how big or small."

is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. for lunch, and from 5 - 10 p.m. for dinner, with an extended half hour to 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, visit their website: bainganindia.com.