Being a Brit., the current writer more or less grew up eating Indian food. (This may come as a surprise to some readers, but the last time I checked, the most popular dish in England was not roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, nor even fish and chips, or sausage and mash. No, sir, it was chicken tikka masala. And the Scots put "curry sauce" on their french fries.)
So, although I would by no means call myself an "expert" and have yet to visit India, I have eaten a lot of curries (not to mention samosas, parathas, pickles, and pappadams) at everything from high-end restaurants harking back to the Raj, to the (often superior) hole-in-the-wall joints typified by London's famous Brick Lane, which is to curry what Amsterdam's red light district is to female flesh, including the "pimps" who hang out on the street trying to hustle you into their joint, as opposed to the one next door, or opposite, or down the street.
And, sadly, I must agree with the current questioner when I say that I've eaten more indifferent Indian food in the U.S. than good, particularly in L.A., which was a big disappointment, given that city's deserved reputation for great food. Experiences in Las Vegas have been mixed, but better, especially in recent years, so let me get the negatives out of the way first, then share some recommendations.
My first foray into Indian cuisine in Las Vegas was at Gandhi, a long-established restaurant located at Paradise and Flamingo, and it did nothing to change my opinion of this cuisine in America for the better. After a few return trips over the years, I feel the same: The food is mediocre at best, in my humble opinion, the room is trying to be "ethnic" but always makes me feel like I'm in some hippie dorm, and the service the last time I ate there (admittedly, several years ago) left a lot to be desired.
The same holds true of the one time I ate at Samosa Factory, which has a decent reputation and has remained in business for some time now, so must be doing something right. When Anthony Curtis and I dined there a few years back, however, the food was less than memorable, the portions less than generous, and the owner hovered behind us the whole time we ate and literally couldn't wait to get us out the door and lock up for the night. It was 8 p.m.! (If you don't know, where I come from, a late-night curry is the preferred way to round off a night of heavy drinking in your local pub. Good luck to the curry house that tries to shut up shop before midnight!)
As to other Las Vegas offerings, India Palace (E. Twain and Paradise) I recall as being decent, although not stellar (the lunch buffet was good value). I haven't tried Mt. Everest on Sahara but heard it's nothing to write home about, while the Curry Bowl got some favorable write-ups while it was around, but closed before I had a chance to sample their wares. Bollywood Grill on W. Sahara consistently got a big thumbs-up from us for the food, but the place was always dead and it's now also out of business, which is a shame.
I haven't tried Tamba or Bombay (both on the Strip), nor India Oven (on Sahara, just east of the Strip), so I can't comment, although they've all shown staying power, which counts for a lot, especially considering other casualties of the recession, like those just mentioned. The menu at India Oven in particular certainly looks like the real deal, but it's pricy (non-vegetarian entrées start at $17, and a shrimp biryani's $22! Perhaps their portions are commensurately huge -- we'll let you know once we get around to trying this one.)
Of those places I've tried and can recommend that are still in business, I really like the food at Shalimar, which is Las Vegas' longest-running Indian restaurant (open since 1988), but which now operates out of a small and somewhat dingy cafe setting at Flamingo and Decatur (next to the Fat Greek), as opposed to its fancier former home on Paradise. I'd suggest this one more for take-out than dining in, unless you're in the mood for something uber-casual and don't care about plastic chairs and linoleum.
What debuted as Himalayan Cuisine on (Flamingo and Swenson) a few years back is now called Mint Indian Bistro and impressed me the two times I ate there in its original incarnation. As the former name suggests, they opened serving Himalayan food, which included Chinese, Tibetan, and Nepalese dishes and influences, including some interesting noodle dishes that you don't normally find on a classic Indian menu. The name apparently confused people and we think it's more pure Indian-oriented than before, but it's under the same ownership and if they're cooking like they used to, I would definitely recommend this place (which is also very vegetarian- and vegan-friendly, and offers a full gluten-free prix-fixe menu for those with allergies). The room's modern and airy and they serve a lunch buffet from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, which is an economical way to try out a range of dishes. Oh, and if you're a heat-seaking daredevil, check out the Inferno Menu (signed waiver required).
Lastly, I also rate Origin India, which narrowly missed being listed in the Eating Las Vegas "Essential 50" two years in a row (we think, in fact we know, that there's some personal bias at work in the successive "Vetoes," so take that with a pinch of turmeric.) The owner, Raja Abdul Majid, is a British transplant and at the time it opened, we speculated that this restaurant was the reason the venerable but neighboring Shalimar went out of business. (We were happy to see the latter pop up again, albeit in a less salubrious setting.)
Located across from the Hard Rock, Origin India is definitely one of the more high-end Indian restaurants I've eaten at in the U.S., with attractive, modern Indian decor and a good lunch buffet. Unlike some Indian restaurants, it does have a liquor license (as does Mint) and the menu features many interesting and uncommon dishes, along with classic preparations, but it ain't cheap, and it's a little more formal than the current writer generally looks for in an Indian restaurant. But that's just me. Plus, there's a great discount here for LVA members in the 2012 Member Rewards Book for 25% off your entire tab, including booze, so that's an economical way to give this place a try and see what you think.
