Rating: D
The plain white and black sign hangs dully from the side of the building, not really calling to any wandering potential customers. But for those who do venture in, they are in for a surprise. Upon entering, the word elegance comes to mind. The beautiful sparkling array of chandeliers hangs from the ceiling, enticing you inside. Even more enticing are the stunning Indian tapestries of different colors that hang where certain ceiling tiles should be. And if by any chance that tapestries and chandeliers don’t appease the local eye, then there are beautiful paintings on the walls above the tables. There is no way to run out of things to look at. The entire aroma of the restaurant smells of a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and Montreal Steak Seasoning, which is only a bit more appetizing than it sounds.
The menu is six to seven pages of straight overwhelming. Normally, the Golden Rule of fine dining is “the more, the merrier,” but this time; the more was much too much to be merrier. If one doesn’t even know what Indian food is or what tastes good, then prepare to sweat as the waitress comes for the third time to check to see if food is ready to be ordered.
As the sweat succumbs to panic, a waitress on break sits at the bar singing something. At least it is slightly soothing to the mini heart attack, but also distracting from the seven pages of food options. Finally, in a rush, the food had arrived before having the chance to actually digest that food had been ordered.
The chicken makhani arrived with a side of white rice. Chicken makhani is a chicken stir-fry like dish comprised of tomato puree and mixed spices. It’s color was eerily reminiscent of lobster, with almost no fragrance and about the same of taste. And what little taste there was, it was an awkward mix. The chicken came in too large of chunks, and was cooked on the inside but didn’t appear to be at first. On the outside, the chicken appeared hot pink, which was highly unappetizing. Upon eating, it did not impress and had little to no taste in general. The whole meal could be described as such: not much taste in general. Not much of the chicken makhani was eaten, but Chipotle was hit up after for a smoked chicken rice bowl with extra guacamole and, as usual, they never disappoint.
Taste of India is located in the downtown Bangor area at 68 Main Street and is open at 11 a.m. daily, and normally closes between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Downloadable menus are available at their website tasteofindiamaine.com.
