Hi, I am one happy customer. Taj Mahal (Oakland, Atwood St.), for those who went back when they first opened & were less than satisfied, you MUST go back and try it again AND tell your friends how good it is. This place absolutely deserves more customers than it currently has -- the food is wonderful and the service is excellent (no more of those random long waits). Unfortunately, India Garden and Star of India have establised a firmer customer base and seem to be making it hard for Taj Mahal to really take off. I want them to take off because I love the place -- the food, the people, the prices, the whole deal. I'm not blaming the other places -- it's just quite obvious that the only reason Taj Mahal isn't packed is that other restaurants have the older base of customers. If everyone could do a taste-test first, I'm sure Taj Mahal would win. And if health-consciousness is a factor, they'd win by a large margin. A certain lack of essential richness is what I would guess turned some off at first. But, please understand that the lightness was due to a great concern for keeping things healthy. They DO NOT USE CREAM OR BUTTER. Only skim milk and yogurt. As many of you are aware, they have greatly expanded their menu. And their prices are all (as far as I can recall) better than both India Garden and Star of India (if Oakland is your stomping ground). I won't give a long review of individual menu items. I've simply never had a dish I didn't like. The only criticisms I'd ever have had are (a) it would be nice if there were more on the menuy (that's no longer an issue -- they've expanded a great deal!) and (b) sometimes the service was slow (that hasn't been a problem for weeks). Please give Taj Mahal a try (or second chance). And please tell your friends. If you're dissapointed, you can flame me all you want. - Jay
Pittsburgh, PA