Words Like Locusts Flew From Her Fingers

India PalaceIn Duluth, Minnesota

I didn’t eat the saag paneer — cooked spinach weirds me out — but I did have the malai kofta (also mentioned in this Duluth News Tribune review) and it was truly excellent. I’m not kidding, it was the best malai kofta I’ve ever had. The koftas themselves were very good but it was the sauce they were in that was truly fabulous. It was made with cream (I think) and really wonderful spices and had cashews in it. It wasn’t too heavy and the spiciness was just right. The waitress had asked how spicy I wanted it and I’d said “medium to hot–somewhere in between”.

It was soooooo good! And the rice that came with it was really perfect, too. Not at all gummy. Nice separate grains.

We also had naan (an Indian flat bread) that was very nicely done. As an appetizer, we had samosas. We’re accustomed to samosas that are more chunky inside with distinct pieces of potato. These were made with more of a pureed potato mix inside. They were very tasty even though they were a bit different. The samosas were served with a sweet tamarind sauce and a VERY nicely done green chutney. The green stuff was very fresh tasting and not too hot. Mmmmm!

I had a nice big bottle of Taj Mahal beer with my meal and Mark had a generously-sized mango lassi.

I highly recommend India Palace. It was rather expensive — more than we pay even in DC — but the food was really significantly better than the usual Indian fair so we felt it was worth paying extra.