Indian Masala
5769 E. 28th St. Grand Rapids or Kentwood, MI
Penny and I had been discussing our desire to try Indian cuisine. We were in Jacksonville Florida recently and our daughter Sami and her husband Will took us to a place called Jaxspice and we were blown away. So we began looking for a place in Grand Rapids that may be as good as that was. Well today we found it.
It's called Indian Masala on the east side of 28th street and it met all of our hopes for the place. We purposely ordered the same dishes we'd ordered at JaxSpice to make a more accurate comparison. I ordered the butter chicken and Penny had the Messala Chicken and they were everything we'd hoped they'd be. Both dishes were top notch although we ordered them a little spicier than we'd had in Florida. Every bite bit back a little bit but that's how I like it. This place was incredibly stylized. For example the way the napkins were folded was impressive. It was incredibly clean, and they spent a lot of time cleaning a previously used table. I mean a lot of scrubbing so I think it's safe to assume that sanitation is important here. When they finally got around to turn on the Indian music the atmosphere got better much as it does in Chinese restaurants with Chinese music.
As an appetizer we began with the cheesy Naan which is a flatbread. A very tasty flatbread. It is probably meant to go with the meal but it never makes it that far with us. Butter chicken is chunks of chicken breast served in a simmering pot of creamy tomato and garlic sauce. This is put on the provided white rice. Penny's Masala Chicken looks to be very similar but we both like our dishes so much we are not willing to share.
I found the entree to be interesting and different from my usual fare. But that made it more intriguing. We have been so entrenched in Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Greek, American cuisine that this was a wake up call that we have been missing the boat.
The hours are different than most restaurants. For example, on Sundays they are open from 11:30 until 2:00 pm, and then they re-open again at 4:30 pm until 9:00 pm. So be advised.
We need to try different dishes before I grade this one, but for now it's a solid high grade.
