TastyBurgher

India Garden: Monroeville
3813 William Penn Hwy
Monroeville, 15146
412-372-0400
M: 12-10 ; Tues-Sat: 11:30-10; Sun: 5-10

As we hit our stride going into Week 6 of the Indian Food-A-Thon, we decided to go to the sister restaurant of a place most of the rating panel has been to many times, Indian Garden. The familiar India Garden, which is located in what we are now identifying as the Bad-Indian-Zone of Oakland, is loved by some and loathed by others, but we were wondering: is the Monroeville location any good, and is it any different from the Oakland restaurant? We can only answer part one at this time, but the answer surprised us all. It probably isn’t going to be the best overall, but almost all the test items met the minimum requirements specific to each dish. Additionally, India Garden: Monroeville put up the first real contenders in the Samosa, Chicken Tikka Masala, and Mango Chutney contests (though I still think that we will find much better out there). People also really liked the Saag Paneer and Channa Masala, but more on all this in the review below. For the intro paragraph, all you need to know is that this week’s adventure was surprisingly good, and fairly priced (~$17). If you need any other reasons to read on, then let me tell you that we had an honest-to-goodness Indian dude with us who shed light on such things as the subtleties of mango chutney, and the nasty digestive pills that gave Thiago H. Jal Jeera flashbacks last week, so check it out!
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Tamarind: Savoring India
2101 Greentree Rd
Greentree (South Hills), 15220
412-278-4848
Tues-Thurs & Sun: 11:30-2:30, 5-9:30; Fri-Sat: 12-3, 5-9:40

In Week 5 of the mad dash to find the best Indian restaurant in town, we decided to treat ourselves to something that would hopefully be a bazillion times better than the disappointing junk we had last week at Prince of India. I’ve heard from several people that Tamarind: Savoring India (the location in Greentree) was pretty much boss, plus at least one person from India that I talked to said that he thought that he heard it was alright, but he had never actually been there. So, we decided to give it a try. Results: good, but by far not the best. They do have a lot of Southern Indian dishes, which they prepare exceedingly better than the Northern recipes, and they use REAL spices (bonus!), but the overall experience left a little to be desired. Also in this issue: a special Finnish guest lends our rating panel an international edge, AND we solve the mystery of the Jal Jeera…Sweet! (more…)

Prince of India
3614 5th Ave
Oakland, 15213
412-687-0888
M-F: 11:30-2:30, 5-10; Sat-Sun: 12-3, 5-10

Let me tell ya, it is a good thing we are doing this Indian Food Marathon! In this week’s installment, and it is the fourth by the way, I found out that my previous perceptions about at least one restaurant were dead wrong. I used to think Prince of India was all right – not bad, even – but, Heavens to Murgatroid! Is this place a stinker! Nothing qualified as good, and one or two things were considered by most raters to be downright repulsive. It made me want to exit, double quick-time, stage left, and never ever ever come back. (more…)

Taj Mahal
7795 McKnight Road
North Hills, 15237
412-364-1760
M-Sun: 11:30-2:30; 5-10

Stop Three on the Quest for the Holy Indian Restaurant: Taj Mahal. I had never been here before, but I know at least one person, Ben Y., who calls it his favorite and I’ve always trusted his judgment. But then there was the time that someone else I know, Nicole C., got punched in the back by a waiter, apparently unprovoked. Hmmmm….mixed messages. Well, I’m glad I finally went because I was pleasantly surprised by its overall quality, both in food and service. And no one got punched either! (more…)

Star of India
412 S Craig Street
Oakland, 15213
412-681-5700
M-Th:11:30-10; F&Sat:11:30-10:30; Sun:Noon-8:30

Act Two in the Indian Food-A-Thon takes place at Star of India in Oakland. To be fair, we intended to have Total Indian Culture Night by hitting Taj Mahal in the North Hills and then a Bollywood flick at the cinemaplexithon down the street, but it was, like, the one snowy day we had in December and the traffic was far too terrible. So, instead we went down the street to Star of India, which I remember frequenting as a freshman because it was the closest Indian restaurant to Carnegie Mellon. I haven’t really gone there since then, and what I remembered of it was that is was overpriced and not so great. Well, now that we’ve gone back for the official survey, 6 other reviewers agreed. It isn’t the foulest Indian we’ve ever had, but it certainly isn’t worth the shiny penny you pay for it. (more…)

Bombay Grill
416 Semple Street
Oakland, 15213
412-578-9778
M-Sun, 11am-Midnight

First up in our Indian Food-A-Thon is a little-known, backwoods-of-Oakland restaurant called Bombay Grill. When I say backwoods, I mean Semple Street, which is quite possibly the worst street in all of Oakland. But, the best Korean restaurant in Pittsburgh is on Semple, which bodes well. And in spite of the fact that you are best off not peering down the dark alleyways while walking around that area after 10pm, I have always heard good things about Bombay Grill itself. I’m no sissy, and neither are the Core 5, so we made it our very first stop! Thankfully, Bombay Grill was full of deliciousness! (more…)