The Dudes of Food

Vatica Indian Vegetarian Cuisine

1475 Terrell Mill Road SE # 105
Marietta, GA 30067

A phrase we constantly hear from our friends of South Asian descent is that “Indian food is always better when cooked at home.”

It is a struggle to find a great Indian restaurant, and the dudes were beginning to lose all hope in humanity (when it comes to eating Indian food in a restaurant, that is). Each tasting left us feeling that our friend’s grandmother could have cooked a better meal.

But fear not, children, adults, and others alike. There is a glimmer of hope, a twinkle in the eye of a young dude. It comes in the paradoxical form of a home cooked meal at a restaurant, or maybe a restaurant meal cooked at home.

Vatica is a small, family operated restaurant in Marietta where it is hard to distinguish between being in a restaurant and being at home. Once seated, the owner graced our presence by asking if it was our first time. Since we were with a "Vatica Virgin", we politely responded that it was our first time. The owner’s following phrases foreshadowed a great meal.

“Here is how it works. I will bring you food. You will not ask what it is. You will eat it, and you will enjoy it. You can have as much of it as you want, just ask my wife or me for more. If it’s too spicy, too bad! Enjoy your meal.”

It was as if my mother had just punished me for not eating my veggies, yet there we were, four dudes and a dudette, sitting in a dimly lit room in Marietta. The dudes (and dudette) have learned that when an owner brings you food and tells you to eat it, you shall do so because it is indubitably going to satisfy.

Vatica cooks four “homemade” specialties each day. For dinner you pay $11.65 after tax, lunch is somewhere around $9. Once the initial quatrain is brought out, the owner’s wife circulates around the dining room bringing seconds, thirds, fourths…nths of the four main dishes, rice, and hot homemade bread. You eat until you need to loosen your belt. Then you loosen your belt once again and order another piece of chapatti bread.

What made our belts move to the last hole? Nothing was explained in depth, but here is our best guess

1. A stewed potato dish of sorts. Light, not very spicy, a little tame for some
2. A bean and vegetable mixture. The heaviest of the bunch, but the flavors were well developed.
3. A carrot and pea stew. This was a table favorite because it had a strong spice level but a hidden sweetness.
4. Carrot soup, we think.
5. Something or another. Yum
6. Fruit salad, inundated in an orange juice hybrid mixture.
7. You can ask for spicy peppers or carrots. The peppers are spicy!
   

Each individual plate was spiced with well-developed flavors, but never too hot to bear. Each dish had its own personality, but when put on a plate together we could truly taste “bubbi’s” cooking!

Consumer Hint: Although on this visit the food was not too spicy, there is always some spice to South Asian cuisine. If your palate can’t handle the heat, don’t venture to this temptress’s home.

If you are looking for an authentic Indian cuisine, Vatica is the place to go. Although not a FSFW, you will leave with a full stomach, no matter what. $ 11 for dinner and $9 for lunch is certainly not too much to ask for fresh ingredients and GREAT Indian food. I guess that makes it an FS meal. The Dudes of Food always want to keep family run restaurants thriving, especially Vatica, where you can taste the love in every dish.