Rant 2

The Place: Paradise Biryani Pointe at 6630 Mills Civic Pkwy, WDM

Strip shopping center right west of Walmart on Civic Pkwy, just opened about a month or so ago. This is a small east coast chain, and the first in Iowa. It specializes in cuisine of Hyderabad, a state in NW India. The food is influenced by everything from French to Iranian cuisine. The spice level varies from delicate to fiery.

Lunch Scene: Buffet only at lunch. It is $9.99, with drink extra. I suppose you could order from the menu, but why bother when you can have a sample of about a dozen different dishes?

We were greeted and offered a booth in front of the front door.  We asked for a table instead, and were seated off in a corner as far away from the buffet as you can get. The greeter explained that the tables near the buffet were reserved. (For whom, I don't know, as during the almost one hour we were there, no one ever took those tables).

The greeter pointed at the buffet and said "buffet" and walked off. We did get glasses of water with lemon. The buffet is a balancing act, with tiny dishes for the various sauces, and help yourself plates and silver (And a napkin like tissue paper).

 Oh, how this reminds me of my trip to SE Asia, with lots of vegetarian choices. The protein choices were basically chicken and paneer (an Indian style white cheese, with a texture almost like tofu and a taste almost like cottage cheese in a block). 

 For vegetable lovers, this place really is a paradise, with various combinations of vegetables and paneer in sauces ranging from creamy cashew based to spicy tomato.

Some of the chicken dishes included delicious tandoor style, roasted to perfection, and moderately spicy curry,and chicken tiki masala cooked in tomato sauce with spices and nuts.

Basmati rice and fried rice were offered along with naan, the traditional flat bread of India. There were 5-6 different condiment choices, and for dessert, the super sweet ending with cake balls in aromatic syrup.

With plates piled high, we negotiated to our corner. It's a good thing we had naan, otherwise we might have licked the plates. 

The Service: Pretty much non-existent. No one acts like the care. In fact, I got the distinct impression they would be happy if you just left, the sooner the better.

The Verdict: Even though the service sucks, the food is so comforting and different from the everyday food around here, we will definitely be going back.  It is worth it. So, give it a try, and maybe you will be treated in a more friendly way than we were. ( A bunch of grey haired women). 

 PS: I hear there is a new Indian restaurant just opened in Urbandale. The owners formerly operated Tandoor in WDM, so we will definitely be checking it out, and let you know.