Saag paneer is a dish I’ve had a thousand times at dozens of strip mall Indian restaurant buffets. It’s essentially cheese cubes and spinach, and every time I’ve had it, it tastes identical, as if everybody’s getting it from the same frozen box from Costco.
Except for the one I had at Ghee’s new location in Wynwood. It tasted like fresh spinach, something you oddly can’t taste in most versions of the dish. It was buttery and subtly spiced. I just honestly didn’t know the dish could be that good.
Revelations like that happen often when eating chef Niven Patel's cooking. He supplements the menus at his restaurants with fresh produce from his own farm. That produce and well-sourced proteins become the stars of the dish, never overpowered, even in a curry full of spice.
The first Ghee Indian Kitchen out in Dadeland is the place where Patel became famous for this trick of creating dishes that are both well-spiced and where you can clearly taste every ingredient. With his new Wynwood location, he’s taken the concept more upscale. It only subtly feels Indian, maybe with the weave pattern on the back of the wooden chairs or the basket-like light fixtures. Mostly, it’s just a pretty restaurant with lots of art and light coming in.
Drinks are more of a focus here, being Wynwood after all, with a bar menu that highlights fresh fruits, tamarind and pomegranate. There's a 13-dish tasting menu for an entirely reasonable $75, but I went with á la carte items: the puffed rice bhel with yellowfin tuna and avocado; crispy roti with house-made chutneys; a soybean-based kebab that’s better than any chicken version; and the saag paneer big enough that I brought half home and loved it as much the next day for lunch.
We walked out, planning when we could go back again. The original Ghee was just too outside my bubble, but with this Wynwood version, I’m already hoping to become a regular.
The vibe: Indian-ish but mostly just an attractive Wynwood restaurant ideal for date night.
The food: Fresh produce and well-sourced proteins in dishes that range from traditional Indian to entirely new creations.
The drink: The Mo'Garita is the headliner of a hefty cocktail and mocktail list. It features tequila, pomegranate, lime, and a spicy ancho chile tincture.
Time Out tip: Go beyond the familiar-to-you Indian dishes because Ghee has never let us down.