526675 Sat Jun 07 08:51:16 -0700 2008 15 73 Minneapolis-St. Paul 0 3758613 Went there for dinner last night; mostly good, but nothing terribly exciting. Firstly, the two adjoining rooms are decorated very nicely with vivid east Indian colors and saris; very nice, though for food that is usually shared, the two-tops are quite small. No beer or wine yet - didn't try any of their specialy lassis, but many tables were; they looked very refreshing. Now on to the food - complimentary papadums and mint or tamarind chutney when you sit down - very nice. The entree's though, were only OK. The mixed tandoori grill consisted of lamb, chicken, goat, and shrimp. The shrimp (1 small one) was nothing to speak of at all. The meats were very tender, but they didn't taste of tandoor - they could have been grilled for all I know. We also had the palak paneer, paneer with spinach sauce, and the paneer was delicious; most times it's just texture and not much flavor, but they definately stood out. The spinach sauce was very boring - not much flavor. The meal came with a basic basmati rice that was fine, but the naan (which comes separately) was really delicious; puffy and chewy on the edges and crisp and yummy in the middle - the garlic was especially delightful. Didn't try any of the desserts as were were full and I have to admit are too sweet for my taste anyway. If this place wasn't so close to my house I probably wouldn't make a special trip to go again, but since they are giving out 25% off coupons for a return visit, I'll go again to be fair and check out other items. Sat Jun 07 08:51:17 -0700 2008 110954 SmartCookie 1 3760474 Where is it at? Sun Jun 08 09:26:13 -0700 2008 3758613 18536 St Paul Susie 2 3760676 27th and E. Lake next to Midori's Floating World Cafe. They don't seem to have a website yet. Sun Jun 08 10:50:56 -0700 2008 3760474 110954 SmartCookie 2 3778566 Here's a Places link for Gandhi Mahal. There's also a recent "first look" mention on City Pages (at http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2008/05/first_look_gand.php ). Anne Fri Jun 13 13:38:21 -0700 2008 3760474 12541 AnneInMpls 3 3791353 In addition to the "first look" in the blog, James Norton reviewed Gandhi Mahal (the short "a la carte" review) in the City Pages today: http://www.citypages.com/2008-06-18/restaurants/love-indian-food-take-a-trip-to-gandhi-mahal/ Wed Jun 18 11:31:56 -0700 2008 3778566 80696 EarlOfSandwich 1 3778494 I live close by and got take out. The Lamb Coconut Curry and Garlic Naan. I thought it was absolutely delicious. The owners are very friendly and the atmosphere was a lot nicer than I had expected. I will definitely be going back. Fri Jun 13 13:13:18 -0700 2008 3758613 200549 jessegavin 1 3783408 I went to Gandhi Mahal for dinner tonight. It was great! We ordered some papadums, which were fine - nothing special - but the accompanying sauces (tamarind, cilantro chutney, and onion relish) were much better than most places' versions. They definitely didn't taste like they came from a jar. Then we had the Persian Dansak with lamb (in a smooth sauce of cooked-down lentils and tomatoes) and Palak Paneer (spinach and house-made "cheese") - both dishes ordered medium. I loved them both - quite spicy (as in hot) and flavorful (as in full of spices). Mr. Tastebud says that their medium is at "the high end of medium" for the Twin Cities - he found the dishes quite hot. Me, I thought it was just right, but my tolerance for heat is higher than his. The garlic nan was great, too - lots of freshly minced garlic on top. I also had salty lassi (I don't like the sweet versions with food), and it was delicious - based on their rich, house-made yogurt and not too much salt. It's the best lassi I've had in the Twin Cities (though I haven't sampled them all...). We didn't order dessert, but the waiter brought us a sample of the pistachio-saffron kulfi (ice cream) that was delicious. I will try to save room for this next time! I love that they're open late on Sundays - we didn't get there until 8:30, so we were very happy that the place is open until 10:00. We were the only people there, and the service was great (perhaps that's obvious, but it's not always a given when a place is non-busy). The cool thing about Gandhi Mahal is that they offer sample sizes of many of their dishes for a few dollars each, as well as samples of the lassi - almost like Indian tapas. :-) It would be a fun way to try a lot of things for not much money (or calories). Anne Sun Jun 15 22:09:12 -0700 2008 3758613 12541 AnneInMpls 2 4408368 >>quite spicy (as in hot) I"m calling you out on this one. I ordered my palak paneer Bollywood hot (the hottest they offer), and it was barely zingy. It had a noticeable afterglow, but only noticeable. And the people I was with felt the same way about their dishes. Sadly, none of the Indian restos in the twins (since New Delhi closed) offer truly hot hot HOT Indian food. I guess you sum it up well with your comment that they are geared toward Twin Cities taste buds. Don't get me wrong. I do think Ghandi Mahal is one of the tastier venues in town. Just not hot enough for me. Interesting to note that Ghandi was a vegetarian, and the resto offers meat. Wed Feb 11 14:40:54 -0800 2009 3783408 13136 Loren3 3 4408948 Order your food 'Indian Hot' at Best of India and see if that's hot enough for you. Really wonderfully spicy and HOT! Wed Feb 11 17:53:10 -0800 2009 4408368 10516 MplsM ary 4 4410757 This place? Cool. I have a friend who runs Four Firkins across the street. Combine Indian with a beer run! The Vegetable Green Masala sounds yummy. It looks like no beer or wine, though. Thu Feb 12 09:44:17 -0800 2009 4408948 13136 Loren3 5 4413177 That's the place. When last I dined at Best of India the waiter asked how spicy I wanted my Aloo Muttar and I said, "Spicy. Really, I mean spicy!." To which he replied, "Oh you mean Indian spicy? Because I have to warn you it really is very hot." He was right. Boy was I happy! And the leftovers were unbelievably tasty the next day, too. They do have a very small wine and beer list but you might call and ask if they'd allow you to bring in something from Four Firkins. Maybe if you tipped them a bottle that could be the corkage? Worth asking, anyway. Thu Feb 12 22:39:57 -0800 2009 4410757 10516 MplsM ary 1 3803762 We tried this place for the first time this afternoon and had the lunch buffet. It was excellent. The naan was outstanding and the waitress went around to each table with a fresh batch. At the end of our meal, the waitress brought out some home-made ice cream that was really tasty--not too sweet and quite creamy. We thought the buffet was priced well at $10 and will definitely be going back. Not that it matters much to us, but the decor of the place was really nice and it had a cool ambiance. It is a family business and the people working there were all really friendly and appreciative. Sun Jun 22 20:57:12 -0700 2008 3758613 196797 Mahlzeit 1 4406983 I ate there last night and took enough food home for today's lunch. Very romantic, warm and colorful. The spice is perfect, and the lamb dildar is the most tender I have ever eaten. Usually I go there for the 9 dollar lunch buffet, but night time dining has its own ambience, and the lighting is fantsic. I am a fan of Gandhi Mahal Minneapolis! I noticed that one restaurant in Ontario is even trying to copy their style now! I was Wed Feb 11 08:45:08 -0800 2009 3758613 265419 Kris K. 1 4631379 Just went tonight with a friend, and had an outstanding experience. Papadum and sauces. Indian restaurants OWN the amuse bouche. I started with the yellow dal soup, which for $2 a bowl, has to rate as the best soup deal in town. Subtle, buttery, with an elaborate finish. Don't skip the soup. Friend and I split the aloo chat, which I would describe as a refreshing potato salad. It was light, airy, delicious, and not long for the table. For entrees, we stuck to the basics. Friend had the palak paneer, which was nice a velvety smooth. I had the chicken tikka masala. I ordered my entree Bollywood jana (extra hot) and got the white man's warning, with a follow up admonition that I would need LOT'S of water. If I were the waitress, I'd be trying to upsell a mango lassi, cause drinking water is futile, don'cha'know. At any rate, the extra caution was unwarranted, though I felt that the spice level complimented the dish nicely, and I was especially impressed with the fact that the dish wasn't remotely greasy. Overall, this rates as a substantial addition to an otherwise weak genre for the Twin Cities. It is a wine and beer license from joining the top tier of fine dining establishments. Sun Apr 26 21:51:53 -0700 2009 3758613 263371 kevin47 2 5348967 We were checking out the 2010 Happenings book and found this place in there. The food was spectacular and especially with the buy-1-get-1 coupon, it was a great deal. It was a pleasant surprise to see bottles of wine starting at $19. There were also several different beer to choose from. The appetizers were well priced. We ordered the coconut soup ($3-4) and the assorted appetizer combo ($5). I was a little unprepared for the coconut soup. I guess I was expecting more of a curry flavor. The soup was intensely coconut flavored, but grew on me as I ate it. The appetizer tray had an assortment of a half dozen or so different items. It was fun to try a few different things. For mains, we ordered Coconut Curry with lamb and the Birayani Kazana, also with lamb. We asked for the Coconut curry medium and the Birayani very hot. They delivered on the spices and the the dishes were really well flavored. It was also great that the food was not greasy, either. Even after stuffing ourselves, we still took home enough leftovers for another few lunches. Additionally, the service was also great! We'll visit this restaurant again. Mon Jan 25 10:04:59 -0800 2010 4631379 117284 spunky_monkey 3 5350478 Also, for those that have never been or haven't been in a while, Ghandi Mahal took over Midori's old spot next door, so there is a side dining room and a kid's play area. A girl about 7 whom I assumed is the owner's daughter was hanging out there. This is perfect for parents like us who want a nice meal and not have to worry that our child stay on her best behavior. The dining room feels a bit funny, mostly because you keep thinking, "there used to be a sushi bar over there" but the odd ambiance is worth the food and family friendliness. I'm also surprised to read up thread about the lack of spiciness people experienced. We went a few weeks ago with my parents and ordered the palak paneer and a special entree of chicken and black pepper (I think - those two things were in the title) as a medium. Both my husband and I who can handle spice were happily surprised at how spicy it was, and my parents who are a bit more wimpy thought it was quite spicy. Mon Jan 25 17:54:50 -0800 2010 5348967 52149 katebauer