Maharaja

Vegetable Biryani

It had been a while since we had Indian food, so we decided to go back to a place we'd been once before; Maharaja, 1 Beach Street, Narragansett.  I'm pretty new to Indian food, so I'm still pretty unfamiliar with what to order.  Thank goodness it's pretty well explained on the menu!  And both times we've been here, the wait staff has been exceptionally helpful and friendly.  One thing I've come to realize quickly is that it's all spicy.  VERY spicy.  So spicy, in fact, that when you go to Maharaja and you order and they ask you if you want it mild, medium, or hot, they will warn you (or maybe we just look like newbies) that even the mild is pretty spicy.  And it is.  So be warned.

The first time we went here I had Navarathan Korma, which was a pot full of veggies, nuts, raisins and (of course) spices, served with a pot of rice so you can serve yourself whatever ratio of veggies to rice you like.  It was wonderful.

This time, as we had a Living Social coupon again, we ordered a ridiculous amount of food.  And they start you off with a basket of some sort of bread that's really thin, almost potato chip thin, with three little bowls of assorted sauces for dipping.  I got a cup of coconut soup, which was like heaven in a bowl.  Sweet, with spices.  Average Joe got the lentil soup.  He said it was delicious; I didn't love it so much but that might have been because I was bowled over by my coconut soup.  I usually like lentil.  Anyway, then we had an appetizer, the Samosa Chat.  Vegetable dumplings with chickpeas and yogurt, with sweet and sour condiments.  That was VERY spicy.  For an entree, Joe got the Shrimp Vindaloo (shrimp cooked with potatoes in hot and tangy house gravy), and I opted for the Vegetable Biryani.  This is a one-dish meal with basmati rice, cashews, saffron, and a wide variety of vegetables.  When I tell you they brought me a huge plate, I mean that right now, two days later, I am eating the last of it.  It is quite spicy, but our waiter assured me that he had the chef make it very mild so I can only imagine what it might have been like had I asked for hot.  My mouth is on fire.  Don't get me wrong, I like it.  We also had chai.  And this is REAL chai, not the prepackaged mix; it's not sweet.  You can add sugar of course if you want, but it's not presweetened.

All in all, I have to say we love this place.  I look forward to going back to try something else new.  Average Joe describes eating at Maharaja as like "an orgy in my mouth".  So there you have it.

Tallulah's Taqueria

Sometimes things happen in the most random way imaginable.  While sitting interminably in a hospital waiting room, I was perusing an issue of Edible Rhody, a magazine of which I had never been aware, and noticing several enticing ads for places of which I had never been aware.  Of course this was right up my alley, and I knew Average Joe would be very interested to scope out some new places as he always is.  Opportunity came the very next day, when we found ourselves in the mood for Mexican or some such thing for lunch, and we sought out Tallulah's Taqueria on Ives St. in Providence.  It's a very small place, but very bright and cheerful!

I was in the mood for tacos; Joe opted for a chicken and black bean burrito.  I must admit, in my newfound status as a foodie I had never had tacos like this before.  They were soft tacos, and kind of small, whereas every taco i had ever had (don't laugh) had come out of an Old El Paso box.  These were pretty great, piled high with black beans and guacamole and all sorts of other goodies.  Joe's burrito was really substantial, and very very good according to his report.  We eat at Moe's Southwest Grill more than anyone should probably admit, and while we like Moe's a lot, this was of course a different experience.  The house chips and salsa was a whole lot spicier than what we get at Moe's, and saltier.  I try to avoid a lot of salt; it's not really a huge problem for me, but since I don't want it to become one I usually try to forego the salt.  Having said that though, anyone who is avoiding salt should probably not eat at a restaurant such as this; you just know what you're in for.  So this is not a complaint, just an observation.

 All in all, the food was great, the staff was friendly, and we had a great experience here, and even with so many new and undiscovered (by us, anyway) eateries in the area we will undoubtedly make Tallulah's one of our regular stops.  Check them out!