Monday, March 10, 2014

Pure Flavor: Taste of India

We absolutely love Indian food. We love tons of heaping spoonfuls of spicy and flavorful sauces over rice and on top of wonderful naan bread. It is absolutely wonderful and I can serious gorge myself on Indian food as often as possible.

We were craving some Indian food but didn't want to travel out to some of our favorite Indian restaurants. Currently, our absolute favorite place to indulge is Anokha in the West End, but it serious feels like such an ordeal to do the trek out there. Yes, I know Richmond isn't that large and such a statement is wildly dramatic, but that's how we feel about it most of the time.

We decided to stay over in our side of town and go to Taste of India on Midlothian Turnpike. We have eaten at Taste of India several times, both at regular dinner and at the buffet. We generally much prefer buffets so we can really go to town on all types of Indian food. Taste of India has their buffets on Wednesday evenings and on the weekends.


It's Business Time

Taste of India is decorated nicely, better than many Indian restaurants. The bar is quite striking as well in terms of a suburban eatery. You are always greeted very warmly by staff. A nice bonus is you get pay at your table via their mini-iPad payment system. 



We ordered our two favorite dishes: Chicken Tikka Masala and Palak Paneer. Both were good, although the day we ordered off the menu the Tikka Masala was missing some umph. When we returned another night for the buffet, it was much tastier. 




If you are in need of Indian food on the Southside, I highly recommend Taste of India, even more so if you can hit up the buffet. 

Taste of India on Urbanspoon

A Fun Find: The Continental

The Continental is a fun place to go with a fairly diverse menu. It is located in Westhampton in the Near West End. When you go you find an energetic crowd of University of Richmond 20 somethings and older nearby residents. The bar itself is pretty fun--it has a nice retro vibe to it with 70's beer advertisements, globes, and disco balls. It is one of the places you can buy and drink your grandpa's Schlitz. This is great if you're too much of a hipster to drink PBR anymore but still need an ironic beer to drink.



The rest of the atmosphere is great if you are coming here with a partner or a group of friends. This is not a romantic spot, but more of a place to dig into a giant plate of brisket nachos and speak loudly over the din of other diners and the music (The Smiths was playing when I was there last). Even though they added some noise dampening materials to the ceiling this is still a loud place so if you are with someone who is hard of hearing, take this into consideration. 

Most recently we attended brunch and had a great time. I ordered the Pancho Villa Burrito and it was fantastic--eggs, black beans, cheese, pork belly, and chorizo all wrapped in a tortilla (I asked for the addition of chorizo). It was complimented well with my requested substitution for their yummy sweet potato fries rather than their breakfast home fries. 


I Usually Conquer Every Burrito But This One Proved Too Plentiful 

The Hubs got the Continental Benedict and absolutely raved about it. They had homemade brisket that was buttery and soft atop an unusual muffin-roll hybrid thing with hollandaise sauce poured on top. Of course an egg was perched on each as well. It was served with asparagus and home fries. He absolutely raved about it and said it was one of the best breakfasts he had in a very long time. 


The Hubs Nearly Wept From The Goodness

For dinner I like to get their spinach pie and I love a place you can get corndogs. I haven't ordered their  salads but they look wonderful. I've been very happy with everything there and there is likely something for everyone. One word of warning though. My friend once ordered the spaghetti and it was Greek style spaghetti. Unfortunately they had too much cinnamon or clove, which made the test very unsettling. I would recommend getting spaghetti elsewhere and eating one of their other wonderful dishes. 

Try out The Continental Westhampton--it's fun in both vibe and food. Oh, and by the way, don't get it mixed up with Phil's Continental Lounge, which is located a few doors down. 

Continental Westhampton on Urbanspoon