Palace of India, 961 E Fulton - 12/16/10

Opened in 2008, the restaurant is owned by a man who owns many convenience stores in the area, including the nearby Spike and Mike’s. After several restaurants (his tenants) failed in this location, he renovated the space, brought in a chef from Chicago, and opened the doors. 

We walked in for lunch today and were lucky to find the one open booth. Upon entering, there are two small tables for two set set up on platforms in the front windows. Four booths are located on each wall, and two long tables run down the middle for large groups. The lunch buffet was set up in the back of the room and offered about ten different items.

The buffet seemed popular but we opted for the very large menu, and started with the non-vegetarian appetizer platter. It arrived with small chunks of grilled lamb and deep fried chicken and fish. The lamb had excellent flavor but was a little over cooked and dry.

It took us a long time to make our way through the menu but our server was pretty much leaving us alone anyway. We had a little difficulty communicating with her and she seemed to lose interest in us when we didn’t go for the buffet.

We finally settled on Goat Curry and Bhuna Gosht for our main dishes. Goat was a first for us so we had to try it. Pieces of goat were cooked with onions, tomatoes, and green chilies. The curry was quite good but the meat was very tough and also included an unchewable piece of gristle. It must have been a very old goat.

The Bhuna Gosht was a much better choice. Lamb cubes were cooked with bell peppers in an onion, tomato, ginger, and fresh herb sauce. Excellent flavors accompanied the very tender lamb.

Rice does not accompany your meals but is provided for an additional $2.95. Our server did not believe us when we said we wanted our food spicy, and both dishes arrived without much heat. With an additional order of garlic naan, our tab came to $47.50. The buffet is a much more economical way to go but we wanted to chose our own items on this visit.

The restaurant does not have a liquor license but you may bring in your own beer or wine. It’s definitely worth visiting, as there are so many interesting selections to try. Just be sure to insist on spicy if that’s what you want. Perhaps you will have better luck than we did. A website for the restaurant could not be found.