Sunday Night at The Palace

[Ed. Note: After a hiatus in Pensacola, the IP is BACK in the GUMP!  Yee Haw!!  New location though]


("Yes" I am out on bail and "No" I cannot talk about it).

Dinner at "India Palace" Sunday night reminded me of a joke (perhaps grounded in truth) I heard years ago: A college professors' Peugeot breaks down on I-65 near Clanton and a Good Ole Boy mechanic comes and stares under the hoof for several minutes when the professor finally asks: "Well, do you think you can fix it?" To which the Good Ole Boy just sighs and says: "Fix it? Hell, I can't even announce (pronounce) it."

Located in what used to be a thriving group of shops across from Moody's Hardware and Ligers (actually where Del'Amalia used to be), India Palace has slowly and surely made a name for itself as one of the best restaurants in Montgomery. I would say best "Indian" restaurants but there is only one other and it is not good. I really mean it is one of the best restaurants of any kind. Of course the decor is sparse, the furniture basic, the lighting garish and the music annoying. (The place mats are really "Find the 36 mistakes" visual puzzles). But despite these shortcomings, the food is outstanding and a welcome respite from the ordinary.





Kadai Chicken


















Problem is, I couldn't "announce" anything I wanted to eat. I had to point and hope my "Indian" waiter could read English translations of Indian food descriptions. I think I had "Kadai Chicken" and if that is correct, I can highly recommend you try it also. It came in a little copper pot. The chicken was hand cut (not those odd shaped bleached white chunks of whatever), and the curry, onions and peppers had just the right spice level. Served over fresh rice with a side order of "naan" and you are eating high on the Raji. And for a very reasonable price I might add ($13). On Sunday night when most places are closed, India Palace is open and serving very fresh: lamb, chicken or seafood vindaloo, palak, pasanda, josh, makani, bharta, and tikka.

If you trust Urban Spoon, you will see that India Palace consistently gets very high ratings for authentic "Indian" fare. So when you get tired of the usual and want to spice up your dining with a little adventuresome dining, the Carp highly recommends you consider India Palace for lunch or dinner. Don't worry about pronouncing what you want--just point and enjoy.