Indeed, almost from opening day, things went very well for Guru Indian Cuisine. The restaurant was busy. The food was deliciously spiced. The menu was interesting and listed unusual, exotic dishes not offered at other Valley Indian restaurants. Acclaim was immediate.
If you're wondering why I'm writing in the past tense, it is because Guru Indian Cuisine is no more. Faced with family problems in India that required his presence for the next year or two, owner Harjinder Singh sold his business to Sarabjit and Manjinder Singh of Tempe's Delhi Palace. The restaurant, now renamed India Palace Indian Cuisine, officially changed hands on October 24.
Though I'm saddened to lose Harjinder Singh's singular vision, the Singh brothers--who are unrelated to Harjinder but are from a town 20 miles from his in India--were a good choice. In 1986, they opened the first Delhi Palace on McDowell Road, and currently own Delhi Palaces in Flagstaff, Santa Fe and Memphis. Additionally, Manjinder Singh, before becoming business partners with his older brother, originated Mesa's former India Palace as well as a short-lived restaurant at 1702 West Camelback also called India Palace. In short, they are experienced Indian restaurateurs.
Despite the change in ownership and management, most of the staff of Guru Indian Cuisine--chefs included--is still in place at India Palace. And though the menu here duplicates the menu at Tempe's Delhi Palace, it also offers many dishes offered under the Guru regime. To be perfectly honest, I think the food at most Indian restaurants in Phoenix is pretty much on a par. Yes, there are small variations at one place or better value at another, but for the most part the food is all good. Atmosphere and service are the deciding factors.
This newest India Palace isn't much to look at. It's clean, pleasant and casual, though it clearly aspires to be upscale. India Palace is a square room with brown vinyl booths; bunches of silk flowers and plastic chandeliers hang from the ceiling. As it is the end space in a busy shopping plaza, two of the restaurant's walls are windows. Mirrors line a third wall and the lunch buffet setup takes up the fourth.
Service at this Indian restaurant has never been the fastest in town. And, for the next few weeks, while the staff adjusts to its new menu and management, customers should go armed with even more patience. I have no doubt, however, that under the management of Delhi Palace veteran Harpal (Paul) Toor, the restaurant will be running smoothly and efficiently in the very near future.
The meal begins with crispy, black pepper-spiked poppadum and green-cilantro chutney. India Palace's flat sheets of fried chickpea dough are light and crispy. My dining accomplice and I destroy the entire basket.
The sizzling mixed-tandoori grill is colorful and bright with the flavors of yogurt and spices. I am disappointed that our platter contains just one piece each of tandoori-baked chicken-on-the-bone, ground lamb, shrimp, chicken and lamb. We receive ample amounts of sliced onion. If you don't want to bargain with your companion ("You want the lamb or the shrimp?") or don't plan to share dishes--shame on you!--the mixed grill might be the perfect plate for one.
I can't get enough of the tandoori-baked boneless-chicken morsels known as chicken tikka. I like them plain and straight out of the oven and I like them in sauces. The flavors derived from the tandoori process add a delicious dimension to dishes. Chicken-tikka masala, richly wrapped in a tomato-butter gravy, is wonderful here. I also like the karahi tandoori-chicken sag, which features chicken tikka in a delicately spiced spinach sauce accented with tomatoes and onions, served in a small Indian iron skillet that resembles a miniature wok.
Of the vegetarian dishes we sample, I split my vote. I like the Bombay aloo, a hearty mix of potatoes and fresh tomatoes in spices. We ask for it very spicy and, boy, does India Palace ever deliver! As for our okra dish (bhindi masala), the delicate pods are mashed almost beyond recognition. The taste is sweet and the texture not too slimy, but, lookswise, this isn't a winner.
As at all Indian restaurants in town, rice must be ordered separately. The vegetable biryani--a fancy rice dish originally created for the Mughal emperors--is an elegant and tasty choice. Saffron-tinged basmati rice is further colored with a variety of mixed vegetables and nuts. It is a great choice when dining out as a couple, with one or two other dishes.
In India, it is considered excess to have both rice and bread in the same meal, but that dictum doesn't seem to hold in this country. Don't pass up the tandoori-baked bread. My favorite here is the plain naan, but experiment; be bold.
If you like your food extra spicy, be sure to order some raita for balance. This tongue-cooling yogurt sauce blessed with chopped cucumbers and carrots is the perfect antidote for spice stress.
The luncheon buffet at India Palace is a cut above. If you're unfamiliar with Indian cuisine or simply want a hearty, all-you-can-eat lunch for $5.95, this is your place. On the day I try it, shortly before the changeover, offerings include tandoori chicken, sag (spinach), dal (lentils), potato and bell peppers, vegetable korma, chicken curry, ground beef with peas (keema mattar), rice and more. The food is mildly spiced and the flavors are distinguishable. Jewel of the Crown made a move of its own this summer. The upscale Indian restaurant relocated from 44th Street north of Camelback to the office complex at Scottsdale Road and Indian School where Scottsdale Culinary Institute's L'Ecole used to be. While the new restaurant isn't nearly as pretty or elegant as the old, Jewel of the Crown remains Phoenix's most refined setting for the consumption of curries.
Service is slow the night I visit, a good two months after the move. But the food, for the most part, is good. I will willingly shell out three dollars more for the mixed grill here. For $14.95 (versus $11.95 at India Palace), my dining accomplice and I receive two pieces (count 'em!) each of chicken, lamb, fish and shrimp on a sizzling bed of onions. If you just want a taste of tandoori, without the fuss and expense, try the tandoori-wings appetizer. You can bang my drum slowly with these flavorful little drumsticks. Anytime.
Our other two entrees are mildly disappointing. While the vegetable biryani is attractive in its fancy copper skillet server, the rice is overly wet. And though the spinach sauce in our beef sag is well-flavored, the beef cubes themselves are tough and dry. Carved wooden screens separate the tables in the curving dining room. Outside, gay Indian fabric umbrellas shade patio tables. Yet, for all of this, I don't get the same feeling of rich elegance here as I did in the old 44th Street location. Perhaps that's because I'm seated directly across from the restaurant's small bar, where a young man in a surfer tee-shirt totals checks and pours drinks. Compared to the rest of the male staff, attired in blue Oxford-cloth shirts and khaki trousers, he looks woefully out of place.
When you're going for the refined segment of the market, even the little details count. India Palace Indian Cuisine, 16842 North Seventh Street, Phoenix, 942-4224. Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
Jewel of the Crown, 4141 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 110, Scottsdale, 840-2412. Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
anywhere
Here in the Valley, Indian restaurants tend to stake out territory.
india palace
I can't get enough of the tandoori-baked boneless-chicken morsels known as chicken tikka.
In India, it is considered excess to have both rice and bread in the same meal, but that dictum doesn't seem to hold in this country.
jewel of crown
Jewel of the Crown remains Phoenix's most refined setting for the consumption of curries.
Try the tandoori-wings appetizer. You can bang my drum slowly with these flavorful little drumsticks. Anytime.
