By Jim Duncan CVFDude@aol.com

Asked recently about motivations for the super hot Vermillion restaurant in Chicago, owner Rohini Dey explained that "Indian dining here was stuck in the all-you-can-eat buffet rut." Des Moines might be behind the wheel that rutted that trend, but we are finally in the groove. While South Asian lunch buffets have been around for awhile, Taste of India in Urbandale just introduced the area's first such option for dinner, hopefully breathing new life into a mall with many vacancies.

The Parkwood Plaza restaurant was formerly inhabited by Cuisine of India and India Cafè and signage remains bearing both those names. The transition gets more confusing, as menus differ, with more items available for "take out" than are listed on the sit down menu. Under the circumstances, a buffet ($6.99 - $9.99) makes good sense, especially for singles and couples because thalis (plates giving diners a small serving of multiple dishes) are not offered. The cafè is expanding too. We were told that the adjoining bay might become a specialty liquor store, but for now it accommodates overflow for special events, such as a recent night when dinner and Punjabi entertainment were bundled for one price.

Ambiance is 21st century Des Moines -- once we heard three different employees simultaneously handling phone calls in Spanish, English and Hindi/Urdu. The kitchen is Punjabi, the most familiar regional cuisine of South Asia, think tandoori ovens and heavy, dairy-rich sauces. Recipes are family heirlooms. We tried several familiar dishes. Chicken curry came in a turmeric-gold cream sauce, hardly "light" as the menu described it, but so rich in flavor we devoured every drop. Alu gobi presented potatoes and cauliflower in the usual gravy of onion-tomato-garlic-ginger.

Tandoori has become synonymous with Punjabi cooking in America, and the oven here produced a most Americanized version. Naan lacked the flavor of clay and charcoal that usually distinguishes it. That suggests the oven is steel, not clay. The menu says clay, but servers said it was not. No big deal, many tandooris are steel these days in America. The chicken was thoroughly cooked, drier than I like. Many tandoori meats make their way into other dishes, where this is no problem. For instance makhani chicken mixed tikka cubes from the oven with that richest of Punjabi sauces.

Dhals were the most interesting. Besides the usual ones made of slow cooked lentils, rounded with cream, Taste of India presented rajma (kidney beans) dhal, a rather famous Punjabi version rarely seen here, and black-eyed bean dhal. Karahi (South Asian Dutch ovens) were also featured, with homemade paneer (cheese) starring, as it did in several curries.

Besides the white flour naan, breads included roti (whole wheat), bhatura (refined flour), poori (deep fried) and some stuffed and buttered naans. Rice was presented beautifully, with fresh herbs sprinkled on top.
The most distinguishing course was dessert, with some things I have never tasted before, even in the Punjab. While the usual suspects were here, including a fresh and crunchy gajrela (carrot pudding), mango pudding and khir (sweet nutty rice), something called "deiji bara" soared. It was hotter than any entrèe and so sweet too. I suspected allspice (a chile) in a purer form than normally seen in America, but was only told "secret family spices." Condiments were wonderful, but like many genuine recipes, they included some hard-to-chew things like cinnamon bark and lime rinds.

Taste of India
3729 NW 86th, Urbandale, 278-2929
Daily 11:30 - 2:30, 5-10
No smoking

Food Skinny

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