Hanging out on Roosevelt with an appetite for something different? Taste of India might just have what you need.
Right on the corner of Roosevelt and 56th, in an unsuspecting little building, this Indian joint serves it up with class. Start with being seated by the host–who is often the owner–to a table in one of three small dining rooms. Each dining room is somewhat unique; one with more natural light, one with more Indian tapestries adorning the walls, and all will fill up on an average lunch hour.
Along with the menus, guests will receive a complimentary hot appetizer with a delicious dipping sauce. The sauce, actually called a chutney, is a tantalizing combination of ground up fresh mint and cilantro next to a sweet sauce made from tamarind. Be sure to order the spinach nan–a fresh-made bread filled with spinach–as a follow-up appetizer and you’ll be happy to see it arrive with more chutney, and quite enough for a party of four.
The servers are friendly, and the service is quick. Even as a lunch hour picks up, guests can expect to be well-taken-care-of by the superb staff. Order the Chai tea (ancient Indian style, not Starbucks) and a server will keep it topped off without delay.
The menu contains a wide array of offerings, including, along with traditional Indian fare, Mediterranean and Tandoori cuisine. Tandoori is interesting as it is an ancient method of cooking using a clay oven called–you guessed it–a Tandoor, and the dishes are cooked slow to “perfection.” Each of the Indian dishes may be ordered with either vegetables, chicken, lamb, beef, fish, prawns, or tasty little rectangular blocks of cheese called Paneer. Try the Paneer, it’s totally scrumptious.
The dishes are traditional, and also very flavorful. Sometimes traditional food can be a little boring, but Taste of India brings enough pizazz to the food to make it interesting. Also interesting are the genuine dessert offerings. The Kulfi, an Indian-style ice cream, has a different texture than you would expect, and is quite good, but the cheesecake drizzled with mango sauce is really top-notch. Not your traditional Indian fare maybe, but what the heck? You might as well get your rocks off when you can.
The cost is fairly reasonable considering the quality of the food and service–$10-15 per plate for entrees–so students can still afford to bite into some choice Indian food without taking a second job.
Despite all this goodness, Taste of India fails to serve alcohol–not even beer or wine, so it can only get four out of five licks of the lips.
Still, next time you’re feeling the need for a new flavor that comes in a delightfully friendly package, step on a bus, get in your car, or ride your bike over to Taste of India at 5517 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, Wash. For more info, check out their Web site, www.tasteofindiaseattle.com
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