Indian Paradise in the Scottsdale Airpark , 4 stars

Tag : Chicken Tikka Masala

Forget the old model of the overcooked Indian lunch buffet in amusty old strip center storefront in bad need of a remodel.
Indian Paradise in the Scottsdale Airpark is bright and modern,with mustard-colored walls and cheery yellow tablecloths. A goodomen - already I was eager to try the food.
My tactic with Indian restaurants is always to hit the buffetfirst. Number one, it gives me a good overview, and number two,that's what most customers go for. Here, the lunch buffet ($8.95)tastes fresh and lively, not steam-table soggy, and entrees areprepared with care as well.
A zippy kachumber salad, with chopped onion, tomato and peppers,was cooled off when topped with creamy yogurt raitha. Anotherwonderful cold dish was channa aloo, chick peas with red onions andsmall, firm chunks of potatoes.
I also piled on the dal, a soupy bean concoction that tastes 100times better than it looks - do not skip it. I also was thrilledwith the palak paneer, a delightful boiled spinach dish with onionsand freshly made cheese cubes. Again, not the most attractive dish,but oh, what a flavor. It wasn't bitter in the least.
Chicken curry was done just right, with an aromatic yellow sauceand tender meat. Tandoori chicken tasted fresh out of the oven witha mouth-watering marinade and nice smokiness. A few of the chickentikka masala pieces were dry, probably because they only use thewhite meat, but when we fished them out of the back of the traythey were fine. The creamy, tangy sauce was outstanding.
Alu mutter, potatoes and peas in a curry sauce, looked greasy buttasted superb. The zucchini, however, was mushy and oily - it wasthe only thing out that I didn't love. I rounded out my samplerwith a respectable rice pudding that was thicker and creamier thanthe typical watery Indian version, which I appreciated.
Curiosity got the better of me, so I also ordered two entrees: Aloogobhi ($10.95) and keema mutter ($13.95).
Aloo gobhi was a shining example of this dish, made with tender yetfirm cauliflower and potatoes (at many places, it's cooked to mush)and a fantastic tomato-onion sauce. Indian restaurants are always agreat option for vegetarians, and the menu here says they'll alsoprepare vegan food on request.
Keema mutter ($13.95; also spelled keema matter), or ground lambwith peas, was decent - at a lot of places, it's greasy - but Ithought it needed something. I've had this dish prepared to whereit's nearly an addiction and I can't stop eating it. There wasnothing wrong here, but the lamb wasn't prominent enough and theblend of spices seemed not quite as amazing.
Naan bread ($2.25) here was crispier than usual; not as soft, butstill delicious and not greasy. The Indian ice tea ($1.50), withginger, cinnamon, cardamom and spices, beats the pants off oftypical tea.
Next time, we started with vegetable samosas ($3.50), two trianglesof flour pastry filled with potatoes and peas. I thought thesetraditional appetizers were magnificent, with a perfectly crispedexterior, soft veggies and a kick that sneaks up on you. I thoughtthe spice level was just right, but they were too fiery for mylunch partner. If you're not a heat fan, be warned. Both thecilantro or tamarind sauce as a condiment on top were superb.
Chicken madras ($12.95) in a pungent, multi-layered curry wasexceptional - the chicken was moist and the sauce was complex andaddicting. Rogan josh ($13.95) also was fantastic, with tender meatand a zesty spiced yogurt sauce that didn't mask the flavor of thelamb.
I also tried another vegetarian dish, baingan bharta ($10.95),because I'm a sucker for eggplant. The lip-smacking sauce wasaromatic and oniony, but the charbroiled eggplant was cooked downpractically to puree, so some of the flavor was lost.
Mango kulfi ($3.50) for dessert was too hard to cut with a spoon. Iknow it's not as creamy as American ice creams, but this was like arock. I let it melt on my tongue, though, and the mango flavor wasso rich, it was like biting into the fruit itself.
Service here is attentive but unobtrusive - water glasses almostseemed to fill themselves, more naan came wordlessly and plateswere taken away seamlessly. It put me right at ease.
With gems like Indian Paradise in town, it makes me wonder whyanyone goes to those dark, outdated places anymore to get a curryfix. Quality food with good service in attractive surroundings: Itseems simple, but until others catch on, restaurants like thisshould have no trouble wooing the crowds.