I should know better. Know better than to go outside without an umbrella in Seattle that is! Got caught in the downpour this afternoon on my way home from work. As soon as I got home I ran into a hot shower. Teaches me a lesson in not being always prepared for Seattle weather; even if it's dry and clear in the morning, by afternoon it can be cold, rainy, and dismal.
This past week was an immersion into Indian food. Indian food for dinners and then leftovers the next day for lunch, yum! Monday was Taste of India for Maggie's birthday and on Wednesday, we had church girls' night at Cedars. Different places, different friends, but both times were delicious!
It was my first time at Taste of India; however, I've already heard tons of hype about the place. "Waaaay better than Cedars!" "Unbelievable service (in a good way)!" Gotta say, the place lived up to its reputation! From the moment we entered the restaurant, the staff was extremely welcoming! While we were waiting for our table (really, not much of a "wait"- 3 minutes? and while the rest of our party was still arriving), the waitress brought out cups of chai. Perfect since it was freezing that evening! Then while we were still deciding on what to order, free (yes, FREE!) appetizers were brought out. We were able to taste an assortment of Indian fried goodness, that we probably would not usually order. And of course, the staff continually refilled waters and chai with seemingly every sip. I am not exaggerating! I felt that every time I put down my glass, and someone was there to refill my water to the brim once again. Such attentive service!
I order Mango Curry every single time I go to Indian food- I don't sway much from my loyalties! I love how the mango adds sweetness to the coconut-rich curry. Taste of India did not disappoint, the curry was delicious- smooth, rich, creamy. There was a bit of mix-up with my order- I received shrimp instead of paneer. I guess I got upgraded :D. When I informed our waiter, he graciously brought out another mango curry with paneer this time, and left the shrimp curry with me. So in the end, I suppose I got 2 meals for the price of one! One complaint is that the curry had no hint of spice at all- I ordered mild, expecting just a touch of spiciness, yet the curry was completely unspicy! Coming from me, who doesn't generally like spicy foods, that's saying a lot! Next time, I will probably be a little more daring and order 2 out of 4 stars (I'm assuming "mild" = 0 or 1 star). Also, while the curry had the sweetness characteristics of mango curry, I wasn't sure if there were any mango chunks at all in the curry. The curry seemed to comprise of just creamy sauce and your choice of meat or veggies. There was not much substance to the curry. This is just a minor complaint, since the curry still tasted absolutely delicious! Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Taste of India- it did not disappoint! Plus, free appetizers, free chai, and free dessert at the end (an assortment of baklava, cheesecake with mango sauce, some type of fried donut with creamy sauce, and a rice pudding) made the experience definitely worth it! I loved the generosity of the restaurant and owner, and I think it pays off- the restaurant was definitely quite busy on a weekday night!
Then, 2 days later I found myself at Cedars ordering Mango Curry with Paneer once more. Our waiter was quite nice and funny- he even tried to learn some Chinese while chatting with us ("xia xia" = thank you)! We ordered a few naans (Indian bread) to start, and they were yummy! I love the chutney and green sauce that you dip the bread in! My mango curry with paneer was slightly different from what I had on Monday at Taste of India. While there were mango chunks, however, I'm not sure if I enjoyed the taste of the mangoes in the curry. Call me picky, but the mangoes seemed to be canned or preserved in some way, having a distinctive taste that I didn't particularly enjoy. However, the rest of the curry (sauce and paneer) was excellent! Plus, I like how at Cedars the paneer is cut into equal-sized chunks, whereas at Taste of India, the paneer was haphazardly shaped. Also, I learned from my mistake and ordered 2 stars in terms of spice level, and the added spice elevated the dish, combining sweetness and saltiness and spiciness! The further dimension of spicy was undoubtedly a plus. I also loved the butter chicken that I tried (Cynthia's dish)! I may have to order that next time! While the service was not quite as attentive and there were not as many waiters/waitresses running around, we still had an enjoyable experience. Really, the benchmark of good service for me now is how low your water glass level goes down to before it gets filled up! Taste of India excelled in that aspect!
There you have it, 2 Indian restaurants in the U-district side-by-side. I think the bottom line is, you really can't go wrong with either place! But if you are the typical college kid looking for free stuff and free food, Taste of India is quite generous with appetizers and desserts, albeit a bit further away! As for my choice... next time, I will have to go with Taste of India and probably try their butter chicken!
Taste of India: 5 out of 5 stars
Cedars: 4 out of 5 stars
P.S. Don't forget to bring coupons when you try either Indian restaurant! Cedars have a coupon found quarterly in the Survival Guide, while Taste of India has a continual coupon on their website!
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