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(March 19, 2004)
The Taj Palace, on Middle Fiskville Road behind General Cinema and just
off IH 35, suffers from an ailment on weekdays that's afflicting a number
of the better restaurants in Austin these days: good lunch crowd, weak
dinner crowd. And that has much more to do with the quality of the local
economy than the quality of the cuisine.
The Taj Palace is an exemplary Indian restaurant
with a wide array of healthy and very tasty fare. They do a lunch buffet
every day from 11-2, which features all the traditional favorites like
Tandori Chicken and Saag Paneer. The buffet is a good value. But the
real value, unknown to most consumers, is what The Taj Palace dishes
up in the evening.
We tried one of their Maharaja dinners for two the
other night. Wow. An amazing variety of excellent and varied appetizers
and entrees guaranteed to send the average couple home quite contented.
Dinner for two is only $32.95. Let's take a look at what that entails:
you begin with a crisp and tasty vegetable samosa, the Indian equivalent
of an empanada stuffed with potatoes and peas. Delicious. Then we moved
on to the sizzling platter, hot from the Tandoor clay oven, of Tandori
Chicken, Barra Kabab [tender morsels of seasoned lamb done on the skewer,
and Fish Tikka [kabobs of fish prepared in an herb and tomato sauce].
The platter is accented with fresh peppers and white onions, all of
which complement the fish, foul, and meat from the Tandoor oven. It's
a large platter, easily enough for two, and a delightful second course.
Next came an ample serving bowl of Chicken Tikka
Makhni. This consists of tender chunks of chicken done in buttery herb
and tomato sauce. The sauce is rich, but not overly so, and balances
the chicken beautifully. Served over a little Pillau Rice and you have
something special. Also on the third course is Lamb Roganjosh. The sautéed
lamb morsels are served in a Kashmiri -style curry made with fresh ground
spices. This was also excellent, and not overwhelming as some curries
can be. I found the lamb to be tender and in balance with the flavors
of the curry.
Also on the third course was the classic Indian spinach dish, Saag Paneer.
The spinach is sautéed along with homemade cheese and blended
together with a hint of cream and curry. The Saag Paneer at Taj Palace
is as good as you're going to find in the city. And a perfect accompaniment
to the other two dishes. And finally, the Raita, a whipped yogurt with
small pieces of potato, cucumber and tomato. And let's not forget the
Onion Kulcha, a wonderful, soft, naan type bread stuffed with spicy,
minced onions.
And there's more to the Maharaja dinner. A dessert
course featuring Shahi Rasmalai. This is a creamed cheese patty served
in a reduced milk sauce. Very tasty. And I bet that if you asked, Ajay
would also bring you some of his wonderful homemade vanilla ice cream
with a hint of rosewater.
So there you have it folks. If you like Indian food,
head over any night to the Taj Palace on Middle Fiskville Road. A maharaja
is a serious big shot in India. And you will feel like one as well after
you've had this special dinner. Except your wallet won't be wounded
too badly. And that's good.
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