Your dining adventure begins as soon as you step inside Minerva Indian Restaurant. Suddenly gone is the bustle outside at the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center at the corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and New Tampa Blvd.
Inhale the fragrance of jasmine incense and come face-to-face with a figurine of the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesh.
This initial stimulation of sight and smell will warm up all of your senses to enjoy the wide range of flavors featured on Minerva’s menu, which spans India’s cuisine from south to north, and even includes some Indo-Chinese fare.
Owner Venkat Reddy has gathered the ingredients he needs to offer a taste of Indian home-style cooking to New Tampa gourmands and foodies.
“We have our own recipes from India and all of our spices come from India,” says Reddy, who grew up in Hyderabad, India.
Minerva has only been open since June — in the location previously occupied by Sushi Ko — but it’s already gaining a loyal following of repeat customers, like David Britton, who says he typically eats there once-a-week for lunch.
“It’s got some of the best Indian food in the area,” Britton said. “I can’t always pronounce what I’m eating, but I really like the spiciness.”
How spicy to prepare the food is one of the toughest culinary calibrations a chef can make. According to Reddy, guiding first-time visitors through the menu to accommodate their preferences and tolerances is part of the customer service at Minerva.
“We have a lot of varieties and I’ll ask them first how spicy they like their food,” says Reddy, who also is a New Tampa resident.
While consideration is given to the varied palates and expectations of patrons, Minerva stays true to delivering an authentic Indian dining experience, according to Perry Compton, who lived in India as a religious missionary and learned to cook in the local tradition. He sampled the lunch buffet for his initial visit to the restaurant and vowed to return.
“It’s my first time here but it won’t be my last,” Compton, a Wesley Chapel resident, says. “This food is some of the best I’ve ever eaten.” Compton was particularly impressed with Minerva’s butter chicken. “I make a pretty good one myself, and it takes so many ingredients to make.”
Butter chicken may qualify as comfort food for fans of Indian cuisine, and is a popular item on Minerva’s extensive lunch buffet. The spiciness manifests as a creamy assortment of subtle flavors rather than a searing burn to the taste buds. Allowing diners to savor those flavors is characteristic of the dishes at Minerva, especially the buffet items, which are all prepared in the mild-to-medium range of spiciness.
The lunch buffet is offered seven days a week and is changed daily, offering a good introduction to Indian cuisine. A la carte items can be ordered during lunch as well as dinner hours.
There are no beef or pork dishes on Minerva’s menu, but meat eaters have plenty of chicken, lamb, goat and seafood options. Goat curry is a good introduction to the red meat, which is a staple of diets around the globe, if not so much in the U.S.
The Cuisine For Vegetarians
Vegetarian dining takes on a whole different aspect with Indian food.
Vegetables are often main dishes and are cooked with spices that imbue them with appetizing flavors, such as bagara baigan, which has eggplant as its basis. Even humble lentil beans take on a bold taste when served as the curry dish tadka dal.
Masala dosas, which are thin rice crepes filled with curry-glazed vegetables, also are featured as part of Minerva’s lunch buffet.
Chinese foods like fried rice and chow mein assume an Indian flavor with the addition of ingredients like cumin and chilies. Minerva combines rice and soft noodles with vegetables, chicken and shrimp for the various Indo-Chinese entrees like hakka veg chowmein and mixed fried rice.
Neighborhood News publisher and dining reviewer Gary Nager raves about the Indo-Chinese chicken fried rice. “It has a uniquely peppery, mild spiciness,” Gary says, “and lots of veggies.” Gary also enjoyed the garlic naan bread and the medium-spicy tandoori-style chicken.
Beverages include American and Indian soft drinks, juices, tea, coffee, wine and domestic and Indian beers like Taj Mahal, Old Monk 10000 Super Beer and Kingfisher. There also is a great selection of authentic Indian desserts to sample.
The wine list is actually pretty extensive, ranging from Clos du Bois chardonnay to 14 Hands Hot to Trot red blend.
Minerva offers a spacious and comfortable environment with light, modern decor and instrumental Indian pop music providing the soundtrack. The successful pairing of food and space is key to creating a positive dining experience, and according to the McCoy family of Wesley Chapel, Reddy has put it all together at his Minerva.
“What really enhances the food here is the ambiance,” says Anthony McCoy. His wife Rita also enjoys eating at Minerva, which has helped her become a fan of Indian cuisine.
“I’m trying all the different flavors because this is something I’m going to be cooking with more,” she said.
The McCoys’ son, Shawn, appreciated the low-key spiciness of the buffet.
“This has spice, but it’s within my tolerance,” he said.
Reddy named his restaurant Minerva after a popular cafe chain of that name in his hometown. He says he earned his certificate as a foodservice professional and moved to the U.S. Reddy comes to New Tampa after owning and operating restaurants in Dallas and Temple Terrace.
As word gets around about Minerva, people like Sam Abrahani are coming from as far away as Zephyrhills to dine at his restaurant.
“I drive 20 miles to eat (here),” Abrahani said. “You don’t have to go to India to get authentic Indian food. You can come to New Tampa.”
In addition to the inviting sit-down restaurant, Reddy provides catering services, including onsite food preparation to ensure optimal freshness. But, whether he’s serving a wedding party of a thousand guests at the India Cultural Center or the lunch crowd at Minerva, Reddy says he sticks to basic principles to achieve customer satisfaction.
“Good service, good food and maintain a high-quality of product,” he says.
Minerva Indian Restaurant is located at 19050 BBD Blvd. and is open daily, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m.-10 p.m. for dinner. Be sure to check the ad in this issue on page 51 of our latest New Tampa edition for coupons offering 15-percent off your check or $2 off a lunch buffet. For more information, visit MinervaTampa.com or call 978-8586.
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