Grub Scout: Taste of India spices up Pigeon Forge

I really enjoy Indian food, and having long since reviewed the handful of Indian restaurants that have done business in Knoxville in the past eight years, I find myself with few opportunities to go back and swim in that spicy world of colorful flavor. Naturally, I was all on board when I heard that Taste of India had recently opened in Pigeon Forge and that several friends and acquaintances were giving it positive buzz.

The Grub Spouse — not as enthusiastic about Indian cuisine as I am — had to work during my recent weekday outing, which was probably just as well. I met a friend at the restaurant — which sits on the Parkway, adjacent to the Holiday Inn — and took a seat in what looked like a one-time steakhouse, divided into large front and rear dining rooms.

It seemed that most of the other customers there that day were taking advantage of the lunch buffet (around $8). However, I had another social coupon in hand this time and had to burn through $30 worth of Indian grub. So we requested menus and joyously sought out items that would take big bites out of our spending limit.

Before I reveal our selections, I’ll take you on a whirlwind tour of the rest of TOI’s fare. Appetizers include meat samosas (turnovers), aloo tikki (fried potato and pea patties), panir tikka (tandoori-roasted cheese), vegetable seekh kebab, several varieties of chats (deep-fried-dough snacks) and a handful of soups, including mulligatawny.

The main categories include authentic Indian recipes based on lamb, seafood and chicken as well as vegetarian dishes. There are also rice-based biryani specialities and a number of chef specialties prepared in herb-and-vegetable gravies in a karahai (iron Indian skillet). Rounding out the selection are several dishes made in a traditional clay tandoori oven and served with rice and one of my favorites — naan —homemade Indian bread.

I found exactly what I wanted in the section of combination dinners — in this case, the house specialty ($15.95), featuring chicken tandoori, lamb rogan josh (not to be confused with Grobin, Josh), vegetable korma, papadum, rice, naan and lentil soup. My friend got the chicken karahai ($11.95) — chicken cooked in onion-, tomato- and bell-pepper-based gravy and served with rice. We requested medium-hot spiciness in all our main dishes.

I was greeted first by the papadum — thin, crispy, flatbread-style wafers accompanied by tomato- and onion-based dipping sauces. It was a solid start, as was the hot lentil soup.

Next came our main courses, which included a large bowl of rice for us to share and a couple of big disks of warm, tender naan. My friend’s chicken karahai was quite good — a savory blend of tender chicken chunks and vegetable-based gravy. And the chefs hit the spiciness level right on the mark. It was zippy enough to give us a kick in the palate but not so much that it made the meal unpleasant.

Meanwhile, I truly enjoyed skipping from dish to dish as I made the circuit from the fiery red but tender chicken tandoori to the korma (mixed veggies marinated in yogurt and cooked in a spicy cream sauce) to the lamb rogan josh (cubes marinated in spices and cooked with chopped tomatoes in a creamy sauce).

After stuffing ourselves beyond the desire for dessert, we packaged up two boxes’ worth of leftovers and made the cultural leap back from India to Pigeon Forge. I must say it was well worth the trip.

© 2011, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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