I sent this to the editor of "Pittsburgh Magazine", at [email removed] Dear Editor: A number of results in your June 2002 "Best Restaurants Poll" are very suspicious, as if only a handful of people voted, or else there was ballot stuffing. In the Best Overall category, Lucca as 1st and Prince of India as 2nd are ridiculous! Lucca's food is good, but nothing exceptional. I can think of thirty Pittsburgh restaurants better than Lucca without putting much effort into it (Cafe Allegro, Casbah, Soba, Taste of India, Peppercorn, Piccolo Piccolo, Laforet, China Palace, Mark Pi's, Ali Baba, Kassab's, Bankok Balcony, La Cucina Flegrea, Phnom Penh, Lidia's, and Kaya come to mind...). If Lucca and Prince of India are indeed among the top restaurants in Pittsburgh, then our culinary scene is truly pathetic, and all the new blood we'd like to attract to this area should turn around and go back where they came from! On this list's recommendation, I tried Prince of India for the first time, yesterday. I suspected something was suspicious when Prince of India tied for third place in the Indian category, yet came in 2nd, behind an Italian restaurant, in "Best Overall". My suspicions were borne out: Prince of India was quite disappointing. The food I had there was only ok to good: good Vegetable Korma, Chicken Tikka good but a little tough, Papadum not consistently crisp, but instead chewy in places as if it was not freshly cooked. The decor left much to be desired: strange colored lamps illuminating an otherwise stark dining room laid out in cafeteria-style rows out as if to facilitate the waiter's rapid treks from the back of the restaurant. The service was abysmal: this waiter was easily in the 98th or 99th percentile of rudest waiters I've ever been served by: when we entered the restaurant he barked out "table 2" to us, with a wave of the arm, as if we were supposed to know his numbering scheme. When he poured water for us, typically an ice cube or a few tablespoons of water would slosh on the table. When he'd bring other dishes to us, he'd typically be turning away from us and starting to walk away even as he was setting the platter on the table. I see no reason to ever return to Prince of India. Taste of India is far superior in every way: in food, atmosphere, and service. And its prices are lower, also. India Garden and Star of India, not far from Prince of India, are also superior. There are probably several other Indian restaurants in Pittsburgh better than Prince of India. Although Pittsburgh Magazine is somewhat hostage to the voting results, when taking a reader poll, I would expect you to do a better journalistic job if you suspect ballot-stuffing or bogus results, as we clearly have at least in the "Best Overall" category this year. When such questionable results come in, I would expect you to either a) cancel publication of the results, b) print some journalistic information to help skeptical readers make their own judgment, e.g. the total number of votes cast (if it was less than 100 or so then your results are statistically meaningless from the outset), c) print some commentary by your restaurant reviewer on the strangeness of the selections, or d) downplay the importance of the poll results by not trumpeting them on your cover, on the ON Q tv show, and in your "Best Restaurants" event. You do Pittsburgh and Pittsburghers and food novices a disservice by publishing so prominently such bogus poll results. Think of all the people who will look at those results, go to dinner at Lucca or Prince of India expecting a great meal, and come away with an erroneously negative opinion of Italian food, of Indian food, or of the Pittsburgh restaurant scene. Better to have left that page of your magazine blank... Paul Heckbert PS: Pizza Outlet for best pizza!? My God!
Pittsburgh, PA
Prince of India in Best Restaurants list?
Peach wrote: > > Paul, > > I enjoyed your post, please keep up the observations! > > Joe Peach > > PS....My Brother & his Wife have been Vegetarians for many years. I asked > both of them, "where is a really good Indian restaurant?" > > They both replied......." Taste of India", what are your thoughts on this & > are there any other places you would recommend? The best Indian restaurants in Pgh area are: Taste of India (Penn Ave. near St. Francis) Indian Garden (Atwood) (not the one in Monroeville) Taj Mahal (McNight Rd.) Udipi Cafe (Penn Hills/Monroeville) Sree's (Sharpsburg - are they still there? Haven't been in a while.) Okay: Indian Garden (Monroeville location) Bad - Prince of India that other one up on Centre (what's the name?) People's Indian Star of India (Many years ago (mid 80s) when I moved back to Pgh. from Calif. I started going to Star of India and it was wonderful. But after about 5 years or so (somewhere around the early 90's) they started to suck. I went back from time to time for a few years in the hopes they would get better but they never did so I haven't been there in a number of years.) Haven't been to: The one in the South Hills somewhere, Maharajah? Did I miss any? Kate
Maharajah, on Banksville Road, just off the 1st parkway west exit after the tunnels (I think Banksville/Uniontown). This is my favorite Indian food in Pittsburgh--I have not had anything there that I didn't like. I'm particularly fond of their raita, which is salty/tangy instead of sweet (Kate might find it a bit too salty, though) and their samosas (my favorite snack) are really good. The service is best described as polite but lackadasical -- the same family runs/works the Days Inn attached to the resturant and the resturant itself. If you don't mind that, it's well worth the visit. toodles, gretchen --On Friday, June 7, 2002 9:47 AM -0400 Kate Connally wrote: > Haven't been to: > The one in the South Hills somewhere, Maharajah? toodles, gretchen
I haven't been there in a while but the Peoples Indian Restaurant on Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville was good. Heidi Kate C. wrote: > Peach wrote: > >>Paul, >> >>I enjoyed your post, please keep up the observations! >> >>Joe Peach >> >>PS....My Brother & his Wife have been Vegetarians for many years. I asked >>both of them, "where is a really good Indian restaurant?" >> >>They both replied......." Taste of India", what are your thoughts on this & >>are there any other places you would recommend? >> > > The best Indian restaurants in Pgh area are: > Taste of India (Penn Ave. near St. Francis) > Indian Garden (Atwood) (not the one in Monroeville) > Taj Mahal (McNight Rd.) > Udipi Cafe (Penn Hills/Monroeville) > Sree's (Sharpsburg - are they still there? Haven't > been in a while.) > > Okay: > Indian Garden (Monroeville location) > > Bad - > Prince of India > that other one up on Centre (what's the name?) > People's Indian > Star of India (Many years ago (mid 80s) when > I moved back to Pgh. from Calif. I started going > to Star of India and it was wonderful. But after > about 5 years or so (somewhere around the early 90's) > they started to suck. I went back from time > to time for a few years in the hopes they > would get better but they never did so I haven't > been there in a number of years.) > > Haven't been to: > The one in the South Hills somewhere, Maharajah? > > Did I miss any? > > Kate >
Just chiming in that I think Maharajah is great, also. Their lunch buffet is the best Indian buffet I've had locally. I've heard that a while back, it wasn't very good, but have been there multiple times, each great. Gretchen B. wrote: > Maharajah, on Banksville Road, just off the 1st parkway west exit > after the tunnels (I think Banksville/Uniontown). > > This is my favorite Indian food in Pittsburgh--I have not had anything > there that I didn't like. I'm particularly fond of their raita, which > is salty/tangy instead of sweet (Kate might find it a bit too salty, > though) and their samosas (my favorite snack) are really good. > > The service is best described as polite but lackadasical -- the same > family runs/works the Days Inn attached to the resturant and the > resturant itself. If you don't mind that, it's well worth the visit. > > toodles, gretchen > > --On Friday, June 7, 2002 9:47 AM -0400 Kate Connally > Someone wrote: > >> Haven't been to: >> The one in the South Hills somewhere, Maharajah? > > > > > toodles, gretchen >
I don't profess to be an expert on Indian food by any strength of the imagination, only that I like what I like. I also heard all these great raves about Prince of India -- and was pretty disappointed. I wasn't all that thrilled with Maharajah either - neither the service or the food. I enjoyed my food at People's. The atmosphere was nice and I liked the exposed brick in the restaurant. Udipi Cafe out in Monroeville is tasty!!! I wish it wasn't so far. The people weren't the friendliest when I was there, but the food was good. India Garden's food is good, but pricy. They have half off after 11pm though. My favorite, which no one ever seems to mention, is India Palace -- on Centre Avenue near the intersection of Centre & Craig St in Oakland. Their food seems to be consistently tasty and very flavorful. Their prices are great too!! The decor leaves a bit to be desired but they concentrate on the food, and hey, that's why I go back time after time. I love their shrimp biryani. They have a student discount too. --B. [email removed] NJ wrote in message news:... > Just chiming in that I think Maharajah is great, also. Their lunch > buffet is the best Indian buffet I've had locally. I've heard that a > while back, it wasn't very good, but have been there multiple times, > each great. > > Gretchen B. wrote: > > > Maharajah, on Banksville Road, just off the 1st parkway west exit > > after the tunnels (I think Banksville/Uniontown). > > > > This is my favorite Indian food in Pittsburgh--I have not had anything > > there that I didn't like. I'm particularly fond of their raita, which > > is salty/tangy instead of sweet (Kate might find it a bit too salty, > > though) and their samosas (my favorite snack) are really good. > > > > The service is best described as polite but lackadasical -- the same > > family runs/works the Days Inn attached to the resturant and the > > resturant itself. If you don't mind that, it's well worth the visit. > > > > toodles, gretchen > > > > --On Friday, June 7, 2002 9:47 AM -0400 Kate Connally > > Someone wrote: > > > >> Haven't been to: > >> The one in the South Hills somewhere, Maharajah? > > > > > > > > > > toodles, gretchen > >
> From: [email removed] > As a long time vegetarian, I have to second the Udipi > nomination. Dosas are very > similar to the ones that I had in southern India - but there is no > reason to be a > slave to authenticity, because they are mighty yummy as well. They > also have some > great appetizers and even great chai. > > Now, if they were just more convenient to my Mt. Washington office! You should try Majarajah (mentioned earlier). I live in Mt. Washington, and it's really nearby. Their dinner buffet was the best buffet I've ever been to. They also have a lunch buffet, but I've never been. Dinner Buffet: - 6 or 7 vegetarian entrees - salady stuff - unlimited chai, soda and lassis - gulab jamin!!! It's fantastic. And not too far away. (Just take Crane avenue and make a right at Banksville). -c