We walked in at 1:30 on a Thursday afternoon. Very loud Bollywood music was playing and a large flat screen was flashing some program. (I will never understand the purpose of a TV in a restaurant that isn’t also a sports bar.) The “Open” sign in the front window was lit, but there was only one wall light on in the whole place, above the kitchen door. We were not even sure that they were, in fact, open. Nobody was there at first, although soon we were greeted by a smiling hostess who was also the server.

This building was formerly a mechanic’s garage, and it still retains a garage-like ambiance, despite the restaurant’s attempts at creating a comfortable environment. The room is essentially cavernous, with cement floors and a very rough cement ceiling that, sadly, was painted a light color that only highlights the roughness. Tables look good, covered with glass and nicely set. But the lack of lighting was second only to the lack of heat. I was not able to remove my hat or coat during our stay (Dave removed his, but he’s hot anyway).

We asked for menus and found that the prices were a tad higher than we’ve seen in local Indian restaurants. I get that; it’s in the university area where the density of potential diners is good. But we have been spoiled by better prices at a great Indian restaurant closer to home, so we opted for the buffet.

Oh dear.

I tried everything. Granted, it’s hard to taste the full richness of food that quickly turns to ice on the ice-cold plate. But I took only two bites of everything in rapid succession and was, to put it mildly, extremely disappointed. I was really hungry, and this usually makes food taste better. But it didn’t help here. Whoever is in the kitchen may be making the family happy in a home setting, but they simply do not have the chops for a restaurant.

The vegetable pakora was very salty and lacking flavor nonetheless. Chicken Chana and a couple other forgettable curries were stale, over-seasoned (you had better like your Indian food plenty spicy, because that’s all you get on this buffet), and oddly bland despite all the spices. Good chefs know that if you don’t treat the basic ingredients with respect, no amount of seasoning will save the dish.

My favorite vegetarian dish in any Indian restaurant is Saag (or Palak) Paneer, and I often eat it from buffets as well as from the menu. We even make it at home. The paneer (homemade cheese) was okay. The spinach, my friends, had crossed The Line. You know this line, the one between great Brussels sprouts and overcooked ones tasting of sulfur, or fresh, lightly cooked spinach and the stuff that comes in a can. Sadly, this was the first time any ethnic food actually reminded me of hospital food.

About halfway through our meal, a couple came in. Then some lights got turned on. (What were we, chopped liver?) We were given naan. It was fine. I tried the tea. It was fine. The gulab jamun, alas, were deflated (I have never seen this before!) and overly oily. There was some very light seasoning in the syrup but none of the rose water after which this dish is named.  I couldn’t eat more than one.

Hoping to find one nice thing to say about this restaurant (aside from the lovely table settings and the general pleasantness of the hostess/server), I hit the ladies’ room. Is it clean? (see Bourdain’s disdain for filthy bathrooms). I am happy to report that it was very clean. Good.

Only after I paid did the hostess/server ask me if everything was okay, not back when something might have been done about it. Gosh, what an awkward moment! I am a terrible liar, so I just said, “I have to be honest; I’ve had better.” Then I tried to make some sort of compliment. It was weak.

I don’t know how the owners might rescue this place. It’s got location location location, being so close to Westcott Street.  Alas, it is not actually visible from Westcott, and it’s set way back on its Dell St. property. It is also competing with beloved Alto Cinco and Munjed’s. If they replace the chef, if the food were truly stupendous, then there would be no problem. I’d even put up with keeping my coat on, as I’ve done in multiple restaurants in other countries. But the food had better be an improvement over every other Indian restaurant in the city.

As we walked out, Dave noticed the sign over the door and laughed: Taste of India – Finest Indian Cuisine.  Not.

The decor is pleasant and new.  They were doing a brisk business the Wednesday night we were there.  The service was polite and attentive, yet the staff seemed to be rookies.  If it’s true that the restaurant’s forbear is Samrat up on the SU hill, I wonder if they are actually grad students.  They did well enough, and I’m sure they’ll be on a more firm footing soon.

The arrival of food was a tad slow, but just as we were beginning to wonder if they were “in the weeds”, the food arrived.  We were very hungry, and they didn’t disappoint!  When eating Indian, I often opt for lamb, because I don’t tend to regularly find it in restaurants.  I chose the Lamb Seekh Kabob Masala, medium heat level, and it was delicious, with succulent chunks of lamb kabob in a tomato-based savory sauce that was fairly spicy and mouth-watering.

Lonnie had Lamb Shahi Korma, another favorite of mine, and it was also fragrant and delicious.  She likes a lower heat level than I do, but some spice, and they dialed it back just enough.    The portions were quite large, plenty of rice was provided, and we also got some complimentary naan (bread).  Before the meal, our waitress had asked if we wanted some naan, and we had declined, although I believe that refusing bread in an Indian restaurant isn’t very Indian, and may even be déclassé.  Perhaps a real order of naan is larger – we weren’t quite sure.  But it was very good; Lonnie said it was the best naan she could recall.

Prices were pretty reasonable, in the general neighborhood of $9-$11 per entree.  With the tasty food and handy location, we will be going here a lot, I think.  This will also give me more motivation to cook Indian, which I have started doing more lately.  We like the Sahota Palace in Liverpool a lot, but with their handy location and tasty food, I think the Taj will give them some real competition, especially if their waitstaff gets a bit more experienced.  Check them out!  Yes, this is April Fool’s Day, but I’m not kidding!

We ate the same dishes we find at our favorite Indian restaurant in Syracuse, Sahota Palace, but I have to say, everything was a notch better.  For instance, the homemade cheese in the Palak Paneer had been lightly browned, adding another layer of flavor. The pastry of the Vegetable Samosas was light and crisp. The tamarind sauce was the best I’ve ever had and made me think that every other tamarind sauce I’ve had was not homemade. The chicken in the Chicken Tikka was unbelievably tender, juicy and flavorful and the bright orange sauce was rich and complex. The Lamb Korma was pleasurable in the same way but with a darksauce that brought out the best in the lamb. The Vegetables Malai Kofta, “mixed vegetable balls in a mildly spiced thick sauce,” provided the same satisfaction one gets from fresh Italian sausage floating in a dish of pasta and homemade sauce. That says quite a lot for a non-meat dish!

In short, this restaurant does better than any in Syracuse what Indian food should do: orchestrate a symphony of spices and flavors in a way that creates harmony not only within the individual dishes, but within a meal consisting of many courses. Dave and I agree that were we to ever “go vegetarian,” we would be eating a lot of Indian food. I have to wonder, though, why doesn’t Syracuse get this quality of cooking? We don’t find it in the local Indian, Chinese or even Vietnamese food (although New Century comes pretty darned close). What prevents the great chefs of ethnic cuisines from moving to our easy-on-the-wallet city?

Puzzling over that, stuffed to the gills, we hopped on the trolley and headed downtown where we could walk off a bit of the feast and consider our next move.  Dave had done his homework (find gelato! find ice cream!) and steered us quite directly to Capogiro Gelato Artisans. Between the two of us, we tried four flavors: cioccolato scuro, green apple marscapone, cranberry apple, and pineapple mint made with fresh mint bits. Each one fairly screamed its flavor. But let me tell you about just one, the dark chocolate.

Last year, about this time of year, our-son-the-chef came home on vacation from the Culinary Institute of America where he was finishing his baking and pastry studies. With him he brought a huge block of Valrhona chocolate. In our little Eastwood kitchen he proceeded to make the most delicious dark chocolate truffles. We helped. We nibbled. We watched and nibbled some more. Weeks later we were finding tiny drips of 70% Valrhona chocolate in the oddest places, bringing back memories of heavenly dark goodness.

So our first two flavors at Capogiro were the dark chocolate paired with the green apple marscapone:

Yes, it was really just about that black (terrible picture taken with phone!). Just as I was savoring my first bite, the young chef called. So I answered and launched immediately into a full description of what was at that moment melting in my mouth: a memory of last year’s Christmas truffles. Just as dark, just as intense, but cold instead of warm. I would never have thought it possible. The pleasure nearly matched a moment I’d had only two days prior, sitting in Anthony’s Italian Coffee House…

An espresso con panna, made with Philadelphia’s favorite coffee, La Colombe, was sitting before me on a little marble table. My best friend and husband was with me and holiday coffee drinkers were all around. We could hear Pavarotti singing “Nessun dorma” over their system. I brought the coffee to my lips and sipped. At the precise moment when the espresso and lightly sweetened cream filled my mouth, Pavarotti sang “Vincerò! Vincerò!” Did I hear someone say, “I’ll have what she’s having”?

Good food, convenient Syracuse University location.  Still, we prefer Sahota Palace in Liverpool as the best Indian food in the area.

We feel that this is the best Indian food in the Syracuse area.  It’s a fun, pleasingly decorated place, and we bring friends here repeatedly.