Stella D.
Yelp
People say Sam's is the best Indian food in the valley. Technically, they are probably correct. No....make that, they are 100% correct. Of all the Indian food in a 20 mile radius, they have the best reviews. Reviews that (mostly) glow from those fortunate souls who somehow sampled the delicacies that appear as photos alone, in many reviews, both here and on The Google Maps thingy.
How we wished for that succulent-appearing naan, the perfectly plated biryani, their curries and tikkas and even the controversial pizza. Maharaja or Bombay pizza, which is better? Alas, it was not our fate to know that Spring day, not so long ago.
We'd been in town for a while, very Desert Soul'd (IYKYK) and very hankered for Indian food. Sam's comes highly recommended, it's local, it's close, it offers pick-up (sorry Tech Bros and your delivery apps that grind communities into dust).....and it does not appear to have a working phone. Or maybe they are so busy that they cannot pick up.
No problem, we can drive eight minutes. It's a different pace here. It's the desert. We arrive, plenty of parking....and they are packed on a weekday night. Wow! People milling outside, waiting for pick-up, they tell us and wave us in. Every chair and table inside is occupied, this is a good sign. We stand and wait in the entry. Four, five, six groups waiting to be seated.
We wait. We are hungry. We want the deliciousness that wafted out of the pictures. We watch. No one has food in front of them. Sounds from the kitchen. Bustling in and out, a lone woman goes from cash register to kitchen and back several times.
A saviour looks up at us from her doom scrolling and tells us it's a two hour wait. For pick-up. The faces at the tables confirm this. No one moves. Everyone wants Sam's Indian food. We want Sam's Indian food.
More kitchen noise, more bustling, more waiting.
Time passes. Is it still Thursday night? Has the sun risen already? Is it a new camping season and have more sites opened up in the park? Did we miss the Olympics? India has 81 athletes scheduled to compete. Will Sam put it on TV so we can watch while we wait.
No food has come out of the kitchen. Nothing for the dining room, nothing for pick-up. The phone has not rung since we stepped in the door. No one moves.
This restaurant is for the hard core. We are hard core. We have hiked to Methuselah in the White Mountains. We are hungry. We are not hard core enough. We leave.
The group outside has grown. They are content to wait. They are hard core. Time stands still in this little part of the valley. Yucca Man lurks around the corner. He and his family are more hard core than everyone.
Next time, we say. Perhaps in the middle of the day there are less people. Perhaps the phone will be fixed and we can order two hours ahead of time.
3 stars means OK, the red burst shows.
OK. We'll be back.
OK.