Hey! I'm back.
Now I make it no real secret that I'm a fan of the Indian food. I tend to it as often as I can which is generally not often enough. It's one of my absolute favorites. Now this means that I really try to seek out the best of this that I can while at the same time meaning I'm not as knowledgeable about it on the whole.
However, that being said, I know what I like, and this place was pretty fantastic.
There's a trait of Indian restaurants to have a lunch buffet. A collection of various items served in little trays. You know... a buffet. However I've found that it's one of the better ways to gauge some of these place. It's a tactic I know. Get people in with a cheap(er) lunch and they'll come back for a more expensive dinner. And on this first trip to the Tandoor, well, I'll say I wish I had a date to take there.
When we arrived for my bribery luncheon (I can always be bribed with food) the place was far busier than I would have anticipated for a Friday afternoon. At least thirty people. But it didn't slow down. Many were not going for the buffet.
The service was friendly and fast, I honestly don't think I saw the bottom of my glass for longer then a minute or so. (Fantastic Ice Tea by the way). But our server was warm, friendly, and kept things moving. The place was clean and orderly. It was a very pleasant time.
And now for the real event. The reason you read blogs like this on the internet.
The Food. Now as I've said I'm not overly familiar with Indian cuisine. I've been eating it for about five to seven years or so but that doesn't make me an expert. However I know a couple of good markers that many if not most of these places do. Due to the general ignorance about this kind of food in the general populace you see a lot of the same dishes being thrown about with minor variations. Sort of like you see with Mexican and Chinese food. But if you check the vegetable fritters (pakora), the tandoori chicken, and the Tikka Masala you can generally get a good idea of how good they are. Those are things that I've eaten a lot of.
And they met my standards. I wanted to drink their Tikka Masala sauce, and honestly I nearly did. Their tandoori chicken was beautifully charred on the outside and moist and tender inside. And their pakora I think I ate about forty of them. Which is an exaggeration but really not nearly enough of one.
So I think that what I'm saying is that if you're in that area, I'd suggest it. It's quite good. I'll be going back to try the lamb sometime quite soon.
See you in the chow line.
-The Fat Kid
