The Spice Box serves authentic Indian cuisine, including dahi vada, front, and pakora.

Give thanks to Lord Ganesh if you will, but west-side Bend’s new Indian restaurant, The Spice Box, is all about women and family.

The elephant-headed god of the Hindu religion is a symbol of prosperity and happiness, an icon to whom the faithful pray to remove obstacles to their success. His image is prominent in the pocket cafe off Century Drive, where the Patel clan has been serving South Asian home cooking since opening on the first of May.

But credit Mrinal Patel Warburton with getting the restaurant off the ground.

A former corporate accounts manager in Portland and Chicago, Warburton, 37, decided one day in early 2010 that she wanted to open a restaurant. “I love to cook,” she explained.

Her husband, Sisters contractor Todd Warburton, helped her obtain the vacated Hurricane’s bakery space in a mixed-use plaza behind Baltazar’s Restorante. He applied his building skills to a renovation that created a spacious kitchen and seating for 22 patrons.

“I feel like I’ve succeeded in my goal of creating a family environment,” Mrinal Warburton said. “I have a restaurant that is casual and friendly.”

She couldn’t have done it without the contributions of her mother, Mridula Patel, or her younger sister, Sonali Patel.

‘The Spice Girls’

“We are the Spice Girls,” said the ebullient and worldly Mridula Patel. Although her parents were natives of the west Indian state of Gujarat, she was born in Kisumu, Kenya — the same town from which President Barack Obama’s father came.

In her early 20s, Mridula and her late husband emigrated to California, where both their daughters were born. Mrinal was in grade school when they settled in Oregon. Mrinal later graduated from Oregon State University, her sister Sonali from Lewis and Clark College.

“I am ‘Chili Spice,’” Mridula joked. “I’m helping my daughter to get on track in the kitchen. She is cooking better than me now. But I think she should make the food spicier.”

“I learned everything from my mom,” responded Mrinal, who as the owner of the cafe averred that she might be called “Brainy Spice.” “I like to kick it up a couple of notches to make it healthier. I use fresh vegetables and I try not to use a pound of butter. But I don’t make it as spicy as my mother.”

Sonali, decided her mother, is “Chatty Spice.” While Mrinal and Mridula are busy in the kitchen, Sonali can be found at the front counter, taking orders and describing to new patrons what they can expect in Indian dishes with unfamiliar names.

“These are many (of) the same things that we have on our Sunday dinner table,” Mridula said.

On any given day, only five main courses are offered. They are individually prepared for each patron. That’s one of the things that enables The Spice Box to stand apart from Central Oregon’s only other Indian restaurant, the Taj Palace, in downtown Bend. There is no all-you-can-eat buffet here.

Combination plates

The short menu is heavy on vegetarian meals, but typically also includes a couple of chicken dishes and occasional fresh lamb.

As a lover of spice, I will make it a point to request more heat in my dishes. Without that request, they are on the mild side.

The tandoori chicken, named for the clay oven (“tandoor”) in which it is baked, is excellent. Chicken is marinated overnight in yogurt and seasoned in a spice blend called masala. Here it is tossed with red onions, cilantro and tomatoes, and served on a bed of basmati rice.

The combination plate includes a vegetable side dish. I enjoy the aloo ghobi, a moderately spicy dish of pan-fried cauliflower and potatoes with greens and fenugreek seeds. I do not enjoy the regular vegetable curry, whose ingredients (peas, carrots, corn) come from a frozen package, unlike the other fresh veggies served here. Broccoli, for one, would make an excellent curry.

Also on the combination plate are papadums and raita. A papadum is a thin and crispy chick-pea flatbread seasoned with black pepper. Raita is a light yogurt-based sauce that is great for cutting the heat of a spicy dish.

A curry bowl is also offered for visitors who don’t want a full combination meal. This is rice topped with a single dish, such as masala dal (a savory red- or green-lentil stew blended with tomatoes, onions and green peppers) or coconut-corn curry, with a touch of chili added to the coconut milk base for extra spice.

Other choices

North Indian Mughal-style dishes are a favorite of Mrinal Warburton. “I like the flavor but not the cream that so often goes into them,” she said. “But I discovered that creaminess has a lot to do with texture. Now, when I make saag paneer (a spinach curry), for instance, I blend the spinach with the cheese to give it a natural creaminess.”

Saag paneer is wonderful when eaten with roti, a warm unleavened bread that The Spice Box offers by the slice.

And there are other additions available as well. Samosas are a delicious vegetarian stuffed pastry. Mango lassis are fresh-fruit and yogurt drinks. Rice pudding puts a sweet finish on any meal.

At first, The Spice Box is not easy to find. Aspiring patrons can look for a directional sign on the west side of Century Drive between Simpson and Knoll avenues. The cafe’s entrance faces a small courtyard between two buildings, and there is ample off-street parking.

SMALL BITES

Big Island Kona Mix Plate has opened in its new location next to the Regal Cinemas in the Old Mill District, several weeks after originally planned. The casual Hawaiian-style restaurant, formerly on South Third Street, serves a variety of budget-priced plate lunches, including teriyaki beef and kalua pork. Owners Ricky and Sheri Kim and Shinobu Kuga also serve Kona coffee and Hawaiian beer. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. 680 S.W. Powerhouse Drive, Suite 1004, Bend; 541-633-7378, www .konamixplate.com.

Joolz has expanded its menu of small plates to a dozen items, served during a 4 to 9 p.m. “Ecstatic Hour.” Vegetarian stuffed grape leaves, panko-crusted rockfish and Shaniko lamb tamales are priced between $5 and $8, and are offered with a list of cocktails such as a mango mint martini and a brambleberry Collins. Open 4 p.m. to close Monday to Saturday. 916 N.W. Wall St., Bend; 541-388-5094, www .joolzbend.com.

RECENT REVIEWS

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Dandy’s Drive-In (B+): As they did when Dandy’s opened in 1968, smiling servers roller-skate up to car windows to take orders for cheeseburgers and shakes. Other sandwiches pale in comparison to the burgers. The only menu is posted on boards above the covered 18-car parking area. 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. 1334 N.E. Third St., Bend; 541-382-6141.

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The Spice Box

Location: 133 S.W. Century Drive, Suite 204, Bend

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday

Price range: Meal plates $6.50 to $9.95

Credit cards: Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Kids’ menu: On request

Vegetarian menu: Extensive

Alcoholic beverages: No

Outdoor seating: Yes

Reservations: No

Contact: 541-419-2542

Scorecard

OVERALL: A-

Food: A-. Made-to-order Indian cuisine, best when vegetables are fresh.

Service: A-. Order at the counter and food is delivered to your table.

Atmosphere: A. Beautiful renovation gives this space a romantic charm.

Value: A-. Portions are a little on the small side, but the prices are right.

Next week: Rimrock Cafe

Visit www.bendbulletin.com /restaurants for readers’ ratings of more than 150 Central Oregon restaurants.