1720 Poplar Ave
(901) 278-1199
Just before Spring Break we had three snow/ice days. One day, I met Satchel (age 11) and Warren at India Palace for lunch. (Jiro, age 9, was at a friend's house)
India Palace is Warren's most favorite restaurant. I like Indian food just fine, but I don't crave it. So we don't go nearly as much as Warren would like. It's always a little weird for me because I will always remember the building the way it was in 1992-1994 when I worked at Squash Blossom.
The inside is very nice and there is definitely no sign of Squash Blossom left. I'll also point out that it is VERY quiet inside. They play some nice music, but there is no talking and if you were to take a small child or baby, I am pretty sure you would feel like the center of attention! However, I have seen plenty of kids there happily munching away.
Satchel has been a couple of times with Warren and is a fan. When we got to the buffet, he literally squealed when he saw the Basmati rice. That is his favorite. It was fun going through the line with him. He loved pronouncing the names of all of the dishes. Satchel asked, "Have you tried the glokma balls?"
I don't know how much the choices change from day to day, but these are the dishes I remember: Lamb meatballs, chicken curry, yogurt masala, spinach palak paneer, daal maharani, tandoori chicken...and some other stuff!
Here's Satchel's first plate:
And his second, which is more revealing.
He obviously likes to eat the meatier options. And the bread. He loves the naan.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmnaan.
"This stuff is good," he said. "This is so much better than school lunch. School lunch is nasty. Except fruit and salads." (His enthusiasm for school lunch ended when his second semester teacher started getting them to the cafeteria late thus causing him to end up with a hodge podge of leftovers. His lunch is a 1:15pm, so it's slim pickings regardless.)
Here's my plate. The chicken curry was my favorite, with the lamb meatballs being a close second.
Warren is much more adventurous. I think he pretty much ate one of everything. This is his second plate, which like Satchel's, hones in on his favorites.
Smile, Warren! We are at your favorite restaurant!
Fine, eat! He's only slightly more cooperative than Satchel.
Ok, back to the food. There's a whole section of extra sauces and whatnot that I usually ignore, but Warren likes them.
Actually looking at this photo now makes me think it's a salad bar? Regardles, this is what Warren brought back.
Mmmmmblurry!
I checked out the desserts. I usually get mango kulfi which is like a pudding, but there was none. (The menu describes it as Indian style ice cream.)
I came back with gulab jamun. They have a milky dough taste so I usually refer to them as milk balls. The menu describes them as "carmelized cheese balls in rose scented syrup." I really don't get that at all. I never really get the descriptions, honestly. The vision I get in my mind is so not what comes out on the plate in an Indian restaurant.
Typically they have yogurt to go with them, but all I found was cream of wheat. Eh.
One of my favorite things about India Palace is the over zealous water filling. It gives me a giggle. And also makes me feel weird and totally self conscious about drinking water!
I think I'm starting to see why I don't go here that often!
Anyways, Satchel loved it. He wanted to know if he could get a to go box of rice. He was also curious about how they charged. "Is it by plate?" He was happy to know it was a flat rate.
The total for the three of us was $29.
I think if Jiro were with us, he might have had bread and a little chicken & rice. Probably not worth the money.
Don't forget to freshen your breath on the way out!
(Warren once bought a whole bag of this to keep at the house.)
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