Well I'm not normally one to rate restaurants but....
Critic: Jay Knudson
Scale: 1 (worst) to 10 (best)
Visited Mint with 9 other guests.
Atmosphere: 7- Clean and quiet enough to hear ourselves. The aromas definitely let you know what you're in for. It's a prelude to your authentic cuisine and gets the mouthwatering started. The crooked art work threw me off so a few pts off there, but waterfalls are cool and giant wine glasses spark conversation. I think the salt and pepper was a formality - not really there for its own use. I think that's thoughtful. Haha Pretty cool to bring a big group as it is a fun place to share foods.
Service: 8- "Would you like more water?" they were tentative to our needs and dealt with a crowd that couldn't decide on 2 or 3 samosa plates in a timely manner very well
Food: 8- Eye appeal is what got me. My eyes were bigger than my appetite. Those plates were huge and the chutney dishes were a nicely added touch. They expand the flavors of an already robustly favored dish. And there was definitely an assortment of colors to the food that I don't really always see at the table (bright yellow, green and red everywhere). My chicken vindaloo was a little spicy but overall pretty tasty. Chicken and potatoes are not for everyone but I enjoyed it. And those samosas were awesome! They were freshly made and stuffed with a very tasty filing. The mango lassi tasted like sour cream and mangos. I don't know if that's how they are supposed to taste or what, but it wasn't appealing to me. I won't knock down points though because I don't have a reference for taste. The naan was fun. Garlic and chili naan are your choices and either make a great pair with your meal. The overall freshness of the ingredients could not be identified as most of them were off the shelf, however the chicken cuts were tender and fell apart in my mouth as I anticipated, the chutneys look freshly made, and the chili was fresh enough for me to feel the heat. (spicy)
Value: 8: did I walk away feeling satisfied? Yes.
Likeliness to return: Yes- maybe not for dinner though. My stomach grumbled throughout the night as it does with many authentic foods. Maybe lunch!