Taste of India

Jennifer and I went here a few years ago. We went again with another couple this past Saturday.

My memory of the first time going to Taste of India was that I was not impressed. The place always has long lines and people waiting to get in. My vague memory was that it was not worth it.

Upon returning, we arrived around 5pm and didn't have any difficulty getting a table to seat five plus one infant. There was a free appetizer which was potato pakora, and then we ordered. The pakora were just OK, and truthfully, I don't need to be eating battered, fried potatoes before my meal. But I had one anyway if only to sample the chutneys that came with it. (mint and tamarind) Jennifer often thinks you can get an idea of how good an Indian restaurant is by sampling the chutneys. The idea being if the chutney is spicy and fresh, then so will the main dishes. I don't think this always translates, but I do get high hopes when tasting delicious chutney before the main meal comes out. Once again though, there was nothing special about the chutney.

A nice element of the menu at Taste of India is that they actually have a spicy scale, similar to Thai restaurants in Seattle. And this scale went well with the dish that I ordered, Madras Chili Masala. I ordered it in "hottest" form and while it was not super hot, it had a good amount of heat and at least four whole dried chilies in the dish when it arrived. The smoky flavor of the chiles made the dish and I was happy to have ordered what I did. On a related note, I ordered my dish with paneer and I wished it had some veggies. Most dishes on the menu at Taste of India start with the least expensive variation of vegetables. Then they increase in price through other options like paneer, chicken, beef and lamb. It would seem to me that they should all have veggies in them, but you only get the veggies with the vegetable option. Jennifer asked for both cheese and veggies and received some cauliflower and some potatoes. Better than nothing I guess.

The garlic naan and onion kulcha were good, but I didn't really taste any other dishes, so I cannot comment. I think Jennifer was not super impressed with her dish, but she sampled mine and could see why I would like it.

On the other hand, service was fantastic, and we probably had a whole crew addressing the needs of our table. If you order Chai, it keeps coming, and the staff also keeps the your water topped off, so be aware if you don't want to drink too much Chai. Prices are a little higher than most Indian restaurants too, so be aware when going.