As far as I can tell, Tamber's, located on the corner of St. Paul and 34th Streets and known to many as "Nifty Fifties," is a restaurant suffering from an extreme identity crisis.
Below the circular Tamber's sign on the front face of the building, a second sign promises "Nifty Fifties Dining," and the interior intially seems to deliver exactly this. Above booths with red vinyl upholstery, framed pictures of fifties cars and old Coca-Cola signs adorn the walls. Waiters serve milkshakes to customers seated at a long counter next to the soda fountain, and the sounds of old tunes played by a glowing jukebox mix with the conversations and laughter of the Hopkins students that make up a large part of Tamber's customer base.
However, a quick glance at the menu reveals that Tamber's is not your normal fifties diner. Though Tamber's does offer the staple of burgers, ice cream shakes and flavored cokes that can be expected at any typical fifties diner, all of these items are hidden on the back side of the page that lists Tamber's real interest: Indian food. From appetizers like samosa and garlic nan to full entrees such as Jalphrezi and Tikka Massala, Tamber's makes just about any Indian dish you could ask for it even has a good number of vegetarian options. Sure, the food is not as good as at Akbar's, but it is not bad either.
Fortunately, the presence of a full selection of Indian food does not detract from the quality or variety of the other food. Tamber's menu boasts, in addition to the choices already mentioned, sandwiches, salads, pasta and a wide variety of appetizers including potato skins, mozarella sticks and wings. The prices are low, portions are generous, and everything is pretty good.
So I will forgive Tamber's for hiding their fifties food behind the Indian dishes. Food from two different cultures makes it easy to find something that just about anyone will like, and even though you'll have to make the effort to turn a page to find it, all of the traditional fifties food is still there. But I can't forgive them for leaving out the most important part of the fifties dining experience: waitresses in long skirts that chew their bubble gum loudly as they wait for your order.
You know what I am talking about. When I think of a fifties diner, I always see the high school kids dancing in the middle of the restaurant while waitresses (in long skirts, chewing bubble gum) bring milkshakes to everyone who's still sitting down. But when I went to Tamber's, I had trouble getting service from anyone - it seems that Tamber's forgot not only the long skirts and bubble gum, but the waiters and waitresses as well. After we got our meals, our waiter disappeared, and my friends and I were ignored until almost everyone else there had left the restaurant.
But, as I have said, the food was good, and it did not cost much, especially after the 10 percent discount for Hopkins students. So if you do not have much to spend and don't want to go very far from campus, remember Tamber's - an inexpensive, conveniently located restaurant that offers a nice mix of American and Indian cuisine and an atmosphere that's perfect for hanging out with friends. And best of all, when you are done you'll have all the time in the world to play with the remnants of curry and ketchup on your plate while you wait for the waiter to remember that you are there.
