Recently I purchased a dining deal for a new Indian restaurant on the west side called Priya. The deal was for 1 appetizer, 2 soups or salads, 2 entrees and a dessert for $25. Sounded like it was too good to be true. Was it?
The restaurant is in an aging strip mall but once you go inside, you can tell that it's been updated. And it's HUGE! All around the perimeter is a double row of booths. There is also a large bar off to one side and a ton of space in the middle of the restaurant. It's colorful and cheery but when we went there was no music. Now I am not a fan of blaring music while I'm eating but the lack of ANY music was strange. We also had an odd Caucasian waiter that was sort of spacey and not very knowledgeable. And slow.
Complimentary papadum was served with assorted chutneys.
Our shared appetizer was Samosa Chat - one of our favorites - and this one was delicious!SAMOSA CHAT Samosa layered with a chickpea sauce and topped with Tamarind, Mint, Yogurt, chopped Cilantro and Chat Masala |
Our choices were good. We got garlic naan that disappeared so fast I forgot to take a picture. On the bottom left is our veggie entree - Avial (potatoes, carrots, banana and drumstick with coconut.) We asked for an explanation of the "drumstick" prior to ordering and never could figure it out. It's some sort of plant stalk that I don't think is edible, but it had an interesting flavor. And I don't think there was banana in there either. But it was really good!
The "drumstick" is the green log in this picture. It's tough and likely used just for flavor. |
We ordered a mango lassi too and it was fabulous! I love how it cools your tastebuds and was just the perfect level of sweetness. If our dining deal didn't include dessert, it would have been the perfect ending to our meal.
They were out of our first choice for dessert (kheer) which is an Indian style rice pudding so we chose an unusual carrot based dessert. Not bad, but we weren't fighting over it. The cardamom gave it an unexpected but interesting flavor.
GAJAR HALWA Grated carrots cooked in milk and sugar, flavored with cardamom and garnished with raisins & nuts |
Was the deal a good one? YES! We were happy and stuffed when we left, plus we had leftovers for lunch the next day for only $25. Even at full price, the most expensive entrees are only $14.99.
They have a really nice website that has descriptions of the food. I recommend studying up online before dining in case you get the goofy waiter.