| rev:text
| - Craving Indian in West Valley. Sadly, I missed our International Supper Club UYE hosted by Monica O. this month at Taj Mahal. I was REALLY craving Indian food last night after an evening of Homecoming pictures with my high school junior and friends. Hubby calls, and I declare it was DATE NIGHT! We ruled out American cuisine because we discerned years ago that on Friday and Saturday nights, most decent American restaurants were packed.
While the crowds pack into those restaurants, we go ethnic. I suggested Tandoori Times because it was closest to my location. Off to Bell Road we both trekked.
On my way into the restaurant, a woman decked in Indian finery discreetly informed me that my dress was hiked up. I quickly adjusted myself. Seeing all the equipment she was bringing in, I held the door for her. "Are you playing an instrument for us tonight?"
"No, I will be dancing." I saw the sign on the door, "Belly dancing. Friday and Saturday night."
I entered the restaurant and was warmly greeted by wait staff. 2 thirds of the tables were full. I was shown to a table of two. I perused the menu and scanned quickly what others in the room were ordering. I noticed there were a large number of Indian families dining at the restaurant.
Tip: Complimentary hot Indian spiced Chai with milk in a dispenser is available in the corner. It is unsweetened, so add your own sugar or artificial sweetener.
We loved our appetizer! Mixed Vegetable Pakora ($7.95) served with tamarind chutney. Crunchy spinach, potato and onion morsels in a delicately spiced with a sweet sauce sauce. We loved eating it mixed with the other condiments: mint chutney, garlic chili sauce and pickled ginger and sliced green chili. We will definitely order it again when we return.
For mains, we chose our time-tested Chicken Makhrani ($13.95). Tandoor baked chicken pieces simmered in a creamy, tomato based sauce. This signature dish is what brings us back to Tandoor Times.
We paired this curry with the Bengun Bhatar ($11.95), a vegetarian eggplant curry cooked with tomatoes. The eggplant had a beautiful smoky flavor and the subtle treatment of seasoning was a nice balance to the more robust Makhrani. I loved the pairing, but my husband was not sold. I think he isn't a fan of the big chunks of tomatoes. So the search continues for the perfect match to our Chicken Makhrani. We lapped the food up with Basmati rice ($3) sprinkled with peas and an order of naan ($2.50).
When our lovely server asked us if we had room for dessert, my response, "Maybe I should order the Gulab Jamun for appetizers the next time." She met my response with a giggle.
Ah, I nearly forgot, back to the lovely artist I met entering the restaurant. While we were enjoying the main course, a member of the staff called the guests to attention and introduced our lovely entertainer. Indian music blared as she enraptured the room with her virtuoso dancing. The best part was watching the wait staff smile and grin broadly as she interacted and teased customers. My reserved husband was thankful she gave us a miss for a solo performance. We kept our gaze on our food. I stole glances as I shared the glee of watching others squirm with embarrassment. It was all in good fun. The staff invoked clapping and cheering throughout the evening. It was hard maintaining a conversation but it was all in good spirit. So, if you want a quiet intimate evening, maybe Tandoori Times is not for you on Friday and Saturday nights.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)