Joaquin U.
Yelp
In our semi-regular drives from Seattle to Yosemite and back, Ashland, Oregon is often one of our overnight stops. We're just not as young and resilient as we used to be for those marathon 15-hours drives! And we'd rather not spend our appetites on terrible gas station and fast food offerings. So, we are always on the lookout for more interesting and flavorful fair, which is why Masala Bistro & Bar caught our collective eye.
The restaurant is located in a quiet storefront, walking distance from the Ashland Food Co-op. Because of the lovely weather, we grabbed one of the outside tables next to the sidewalk. We were both road-trip-ravenous, and I was super-excited by the multiple gluten-free offerings, so we ordered the Vegetable Pakora as a starter (one of my typical gluten-free go-tos for Indian restaurants) and then the entrees Lamb Roganjosh and Keema Masala with the gluten-free Naan (a first-ever for me, as I am accustomed to only being able to eat Papadam or Roti). For drinks, we also ordered a Rose Drop and an East India Company, (interesting choice for a cocktail name).
The East India Company was flavorful and refreshing. However, the Rose Drop had the challenge of trying to successfully incorporate the strong rose flavor without the drink tasting...like soap. Unfortunately, it did not succeed in this endeavor. The Vegetable Pakoras were honestly, a bit of a disappointment. The dish is quite large, as you get four large portions each consisting of a sliced potato, onion ring, and a small handful of broccoli. I am more used to a pakora that is airy and bit light on the batter. These were drenched in batter and quite heavy. It was not our favorite. But then the entrees came out, and we were both blown away. My Lamb Roganjosh was a spicy and dynamic mix of tender lamb chunks. While it paired well with the rice, my favorite was dipping the gluten-free naan in the Roganjosh. Each bite was a super-charged explosion of flavor and bread that made me quickly forget the pakora. The Keema Masala had ground lamb instead of chunks, but the sauce was a similarly spicy, creamy, tomato-based blend. Not as spicy as the Roganjosh, but still very enjoyable. We were thrilled to find out that the lamb was locally sourced, grass-fed, free-range, and antibiotic- and hormone-free. We did miss having a chutney of some kind, as the two greens-based sides were forgettable. I think one of the sides was a spicy cole-slaw-like mix of some type?
The only other issue we encountered was that after the server sat us, we waited for quite a long time for them to take our order. I think they mentioned that there were having an issue with the fridge? But after that snafu, they were much more consistently attentive. Fellow road-trippers traveling up and down the 5, avoid the rest stop fried foods and boring burgers and fries. Stop here to activate your taste buds after a long day of monotonous driving.