Chef Vijay Sadhu: new culinary force at Clay Pit

The August edition of Advocate has likely arrived on your doorstep--so you probably already know about all the great Indian food spots we mapped out for you across the neighborhood.
What you probably don't know, however, is the full scoop on chef Vijay Sadhu at Clay Pit, our feature restaurant.
Sadhu came on board a few months ago after India-based Twin Cities Hotels bought the Addison restaurant. The company hired Sadhu to revamp the existing menu---which in my opinion was a very smart move. I say that because he was the mastermind behind Bukhara Grill in Richardson. This has been one of my favorite restaurants for awhile, and in fact, I sang it's praises several months ago on this blog.
During my interview he told me that he sold Bukhara Grill about three months ago, and was getting ready to move to San Francisco when Twin Cities Hotels approached him with the job offer. He also said that since he sold Bukhara Grill, the new owners have turned the restaurant into a Chinese-Indian buffet (I drove by and even the name has been changed to Bukhara Wok now).
I haven't been back since this place went under new ownership, so I can't tell you if it's any good---but I can tell you that chef Sadu is very, very good at what he does: creating innovative Indian dishes. If you were a fan of his work at Bukhara, you'll love what he's doing at Clay Pit. He did his culinary training in France, so he's now using that knowledge to infuse Indian dishes with cream sauces and unexpected cuts of meat and fish. You'll find things like saffron-season rack of lamb with garlic mashed potatoes--or curry Chilean sea bass with mango chutney.
Contemporary dishes like this make it the perfect place for diners who are just warming up to Indian food--but the selection of traditional entrees like chicken masala also make it enjoyable for longtime Indian fare fans. Swing by any day for the $7 lunch buffet if you'd like to sample a little of everything.