By Ralph

Restaurants come and go.

Anyone who has lived in Brandon for a while has watched familiar signs disappear, new ones take their place, and entire shopping centers change around them.

That's why there's something worth noticing about a restaurant that has stayed put for more than 17 years.

At 805 E. Brandon Blvd., Tandoor Indian Cuisine has been serving Indian food from the same Brandon location since November 2008.

And according to the family behind the restaurant, the story didn't begin with a business plan.

It began with recipes.

From Family Recipes to a Brandon Restaurant

Tandoor says its beginnings can be traced to sharing family recipes with friends.

Eventually, the family decided those recipes might have a place beyond their own kitchen. In November 2008, they opened Tandoor Indian Cuisine with the goal of bringing the kind of Indian meals they knew from home to the Brandon community.

More than 17 years later, they're still there.

That's particularly notable in a community where the restaurant landscape has changed dramatically since 2008.

Brandon Boulevard has grown busier. New restaurants have arrived. National chains have expanded throughout the area.

Tandoor simply kept cooking.

What's a Tandoor?

For residents unfamiliar with Indian cuisine, the restaurant's name is a good place to start.

A tandoor is a traditional cylindrical oven capable of reaching extremely high temperatures. Foods are cooked inside it, producing the distinctive roasting and charring associated with dishes such as tandoori chicken and chicken tikka.

The oven also plays an important role in making Indian breads such as naan.

Tandoor's current menu includes both Tandoori Chicken and Chicken Tikka, along with several varieties of naan and other breads baked in the tandoor oven.

So the restaurant's name isn't simply branding.

It points directly to one of the cooking traditions represented in its kitchen.

For Someone Who Doesn't Know Indian Food

A large Indian menu can be intimidating if you've never tried the cuisine.

So here's a quick translation of some dishes Brandon diners will find on Tandoor's current menu.

Chicken Tikka Masala consists of chicken breast pieces served in a creamy tomato-based sauce.

Biryani combines basmati rice with spices and herbs and can include chicken, lamb, goat, beef, shrimp, vegetables or other ingredients.

Korma generally offers a creamier preparation; Tandoor's versions include dishes made with an onion-based gravy.

Vindaloo is the choice to approach if you're looking for something with considerably more heat—the restaurant describes its chicken version as a traditional Goan preparation.

And Paneer is an Indian cheese that appears throughout the vegetarian side of the menu, including Paneer Butter Masala and Kadai Paneer.

That's only a small portion of a menu that stretches across chicken, lamb, goat, beef, seafood, rice dishes, breads and an unusually large selection of vegetarian choices.

The Vegetarian Side of Indian Cooking

One thing someone exploring Indian food for the first time may quickly notice is how much of the menu doesn't revolve around meat.

Tandoor's vegetarian section includes dishes built around lentils, chickpeas, spinach, potatoes, cauliflower, okra, eggplant and paneer.

There's Chana Masala, made with chickpeas simmered with tomatoes and onions; Dal Tadka, built around lentils; Aloo Gobhi Masala, combining cauliflower and potatoes; and Bhindi Masala, featuring okra with onions, tomatoes and spices.

The restaurant also identifies vegan options among its offerings.

For a group containing both meat eaters and vegetarians, that's a practical part of what Indian cuisine brings to the table.

The Spices Matter

Tandoor says it prepares its food daily and grinds fresh organic masala as part of its cooking process.

“Masala” doesn't refer to one single spice.

It generally means a mixture or blend of spices, and those combinations are one of the foundations of Indian cooking. Different blends and cooking techniques help give dishes their individual character.

That's also why describing Indian food simply as “spicy” can be misleading.

Spice can mean flavor, not necessarily heat.

Some dishes can be mild and creamy. Others are aromatic rather than hot. And some—particularly vindaloo preparations—can bring considerably more heat.

Tandoor says customers can customize spice levels when ordering.

Seventeen Years in the Same Place

There are newer restaurants in Brandon.

There are certainly bigger ones.

But longevity tells its own kind of local story.

When Tandoor opened in November 2008, Brandon looked different than it does today. Yet the restaurant remains at the same address, still operated as a family business and still centered around the type of food that originally inspired the family to open it.

That's why this week's Crosstown Eats isn't about declaring something the “best Indian restaurant in Brandon.”

We haven't conducted that kind of comparison, and we're not going to pretend we have.

It's about recognizing a locally operated restaurant that has quietly become part of Brandon's food landscape.

Know Before You Go

Tandoor Indian Cuisine
805 E. Brandon Blvd., Brandon, FL 33511
Phone: 813-654-7300

Sunday–Thursday: 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4–9 p.m.
Friday–Saturday: 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4–9:30 p.m.

The restaurant currently offers dine-in, takeout, delivery and catering.

Tandoor Indian Cuisine official website

For Brandon residents who've driven past that sign for years without knowing the story behind it, now you do.

What began with a family sharing its recipes with friends has spent more than 17 years sharing them with Brandon.