Dinner was interesting. I ate at the Maharajah restaurant. The food was good, though a little confusing. The only Indian food I have ever eaten was a bit of a samosa, and I don't care for food that is hot spicy (mild spicy is more my style). Deciding what to order was a challenge, and due to language and accent difficulties, the waitress who took my order was not able to help make any suggetions. I took a stab at it and ordered chicken tikka, and some poori. The poori came with three dipping sauces, all of which were tasty but spicy enough to burn my mouth. The tikka came with a large serving of rice and a very tasty sauce that was mildly spicy. There was also a plate of hot flat bread, though I didn't catch the name. I did enjoy the tikka, and ate till I was stuffed. Even then, I filled up a large box of leftovers to take home.
The atmosphere of the restaurant was mixed. All of the other patrons seemed to enjoy their meals, and the Indian music was pleasant. There was a shiny red on gold banner hanging on a wall that read "Season's Greetings. Ho Ho Ho." and featured a picture of Santa Claus. The one downside was that the air conditioning was turned down way too low. I wasn't the only one who was uncomfortable, as I heard those around me discussing the intense chill.
Service was not exactly stellar. The restuarant wasn't very busy, yet it took a long time for them to see to me. Other patrons seemed to be having difficulty getting their checks flagged down. Once I had my food, my water glass was refilled once, and then sat empty next to my other empty beverage cup the rest of the night. No one checked up on me. When I finished eating, it took quite a while before anyone came around to notice that I was done and ready to go. For the first time in a long time, I felt compelled to only tip 10%, rather than 15%. I paid almost $20 for the meal, and I don't expect to be neglected by an idle waitstaff for that price.
Amelie, as usual, was great fun. Fourth time seeing it.
