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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Twelve in Ten Challenge: Priyaa Indian Cuisine

It's hard to believe that we've completed our twelfth and final Twelve in Ten challenge. I'll reflect more on the challenge in general as well as introduce the 2011 challenge (which is still to be determined!) in my January 1st post. But first, I want to share our experience with Indian food!

I've only had Indian food once before, a lunch buffet that I hit up with some of my co-workers awhile ago. Since then, I've wanted to try it again, which is why I added it to our challenge list. We invited my brother-in-law, his lovely girlfriend Erin, and friends Zak and Lauren to join us for dinner and we met one cold Thursday night at Priyaa, per Erin's suggestion. While Priyaa has a daily lunch buffet, it is not available for dinner so we began to peruse the rather extensive menu and make our choices.

After a few minutes of contemplation we were all ready to order. Erin and Justin opted for the complete thali dinner, which came with several mini dishes in addition to their entrees (Lamb Korma Curry for her and Chicken Tikka Masala for him). Zak also chose a lamb curry dish, and Lauren got the largest crepe (aka dosa) stuffed with vegetable curry that I have ever seen. Note the dosa in the picture below; we all had a good laugh when this monstrosity was brought to the table!

Ryan and I both ordered korma curries, chicken and vegetable, respectively. Each of our meals came with a choice of bread and we went for the nan (spelled nan on the menu, though I always thought it was naan). I'll share a secret with you...while I enjoy Indian food, I'm really there for the nan. The flat doughy bread is always the highlight for me and Priyaa's nan was no exception!
(only took 1 picture of the food; Indian food doesn't photograph well! This was my curry which I ate over basmati rice)

The restaurant is relatively small and there were only a few other patrons eating while we were there. Priyaa appears to be family-owned and we had several different family members wait on us throughout the evening. Though they were silent, they never let you take more than a sip of water without refilling your glass. I couldn't complain about this; the curries were SPICY and I found myself guzzling water after every bite.

Would I return to Priyaa? I think so. The food was good, the prices were decent, and the service was fast. Still, there are plenty of other Indian restaurants to try in St. Louis and I'm anxious to see how they stack up! As always, it was fun to try a new restaurant and a fairly unfamiliar cuisine. Thanks Justin, Erin, Zak, and Lauren for joining us!


One Year Ago: Chocolate Mint M&M Cookies Priyaa on Urbanspoon