Dining With T-Bone

Here’s a review of an Indian restaurant from my friend T-bone. He’s currently in Pharmacy school and has a love for all things Indian.

I took a friend of mine to India Garden last Saturday during my first week in Buffalo, New York since moving upstate for school. I wanted to introduce her to the world of Indian food but, being new to the city, I did not know what to expect. Still, I was hungry for delicious Indian food, so we made a random choice: India Garden, and it proved to be a good one.

My credentials, you ask? Well, I have eaten at Indian food restaurants my whole life. New York City has a diversity of restaurants from the expensive and magnificent, to the cheap and tasty, to the curry that is not worth any price, anywhere. It was always important to know which Indian food restaurant was worth my dime.

I enjoy chicken tikka masala (CTM), chicken curry, aloo paneer, puri, papadam, samosa, raita and almost anything else on the menu. India Garden had a fine selection of dishes and appetizers that include the above mentioned foods. The menu gave me a chance to reconnoiter regarding my original impulse to go for the CTM. Yet, CTM won out! After the waiter's helpful advice, my friend chose Aloo Palak. And so, we waited…

The restaurant was dim, yet unimposing. It was also spacious which is important when one eats. There were a handful of patrons there, yet it wasn't difficult to have a conversation across the table. The wait was not long for the dishes we ordered.

When the food was served, the spices were obvious in their aromatic eminence and the portions were filling for those who want some extra meat on their plate, like myself. The conversation between friends was now over, as the food became serious business from the first bite. It was enjoyable and obviously fresh and not dry- unlike at other places out there that have yet to earn a review!

Most importantly, the curry was fine. Surely, it was not the best curry I have eaten since New York City, but it was respectable and filling! Indeed, the food was not the most exceptional I have ever tried, but it hits above the norm for good Indian food.

The pricing is tad higher than normal. But, granted, we missed the lunch buffet which would have been a worthwhile pursuit after having ordered from the menu. In my opinion, the food is surely worth the price. I cannot imagine one with an objective Indian food palate being too disappointed at India Garden (Buffalo, NY).

3.4 Stars out of 5

Indian Garden Buffalo
484 Elmwood Ave New York (NY)
Phone: (716) 881 0907