Asian Fusion in the Poconos – Spice Route
My first meal from Spice Route was a take-out order and while it was good, it lacked a lot of the true experience and feel because I could not dine in (Thanks a lot Covid). It also carried a hefty price tag for one person to enjoy some take-out. Now the prices have not changed, but adding the atmosphere and a “night out” makes them feel much more in line with what I am comfortable spending for a good meal.
Chinese, Indian, Thai…Oh My
The Honey Sesame Chicken appetizer was excellent. Similar to a Sesame Chicken dish from a Chinese take-out spot but significantly better. Much more depth to this, not just sweet on sweet. The chicken was battered and fried perfectly and had excellent crunch on the exterior but a nice hot and soft inside. When we were done, I wanted more, and then some more. If that’s not the job of an appetizer, I don’t know what is.
The Butter Chicken was pretty standard as far as most (good) Indian spots go, but standard is welcomed. It’s a flavor you expect to get, and it delivered. The chicken itself was good quality and the consistency of the sauce was spot on, velvety and just thick enough that it was not runny.
The Chicken with Broccoli was another Chinese style dish we got (my girlfriend is not super adventurous and she loves this from the Chinese place) that met the requirements of what we were looking for. Very good flavor and the meat and broccoli were both cooked perfectly. The broccoli wasn’t mush but wasn’t too hard and the chicken was firm and tasty. The sauce wasn’t overly sugary like the ones you get with Chinese take-out spots, but definitely still sweet enough that you knew the dishes were related, even if they were second cousins.
The Lamb Biryani tasted exactly as I remember it from my take-out meal, which was quite good. I will order this dish from here any day of the week and be happy about it. You can tell that the flavors of this have been blending all day long. The texture of the lamb was soft in all the right ways. No gamey type taste whatsoever and a truly wonderful mouthfeel with the rice.
Chinese, Thai, Indian…you can get any of these three fares here, and they’re all quite good. A lot of times places that try to go into another country for the attempt of inclusion (ie – a Chinese buffet rolling out a sushi section) fail miserably. This is not a stretch anywhere, all of the dishes that are centered around these different countries all seem to be prepared by someone with a background in that food.
We have reached the end of the Route
How do we feel about being able to order from three different delicious cuisines? The answer is clear from the peanut gallery…Spice Route in Bartonsville, Pennsylvania – Didn’t Suck!