A reddish chunk of chicken tandoori, a couple of bites of chicken tikka masals atop basmati rice, crunchy-fried fish pakora and a quarter of naan bread fill a plate after a buffet run.
Remember back before Covid when restaurant buffets were commonplace? Lots of people love a buffet meal, and why not? You get abundant choice, all you can eat, and there’s no wait for a server and chef to do their work before you can pitch in.
That’s a lot to like, but a lot of people are wary of the buffet, and with good reason. In the best of times, you’re getting food that’s been sitting over heat, overcooking and softening; and you’re relying on management (with the Health Department looking over its shoulder) to ensure that sneeze guards are in place, proper temperatures maintained, food replaced while its fresh, and people aren’t casually exchanging germs with strangers via serving spoons or careless touches.
All that, and then came Covid-19 and doubled down on all the negatives. Even after restaurants reopened, buffets remained a no-go, with good reason. It’s hard to maintain social distancing in a buffet line, and sharing serving spoons? Nuh-uh.
But now an Indian buffet is back, and I’m there for it. Let’s give a warm welcome to Paradise American-Indian Cuisine in Middletown. It opened since January in the Middletown shopping center space that previously housed Millions Crab.
Its menu features a broad selection of Indian dishes (mostly priced between $12 and $18) and, for that one person in your party who won’t do Indian, an American menu loaded with burgers, sandwiches, pastas, wings and more (mostly from $5 to $15).
In a salute to buffet lovers everywhere, it runs a modest but appealing lunch buffet from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. A dinner buffet is served from 5-10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays.
I was surprised at first to see no sneeze guards, but on closer inspection, everything except for a few brightly colored chutneys and a basket of crunchy papads was safely housed in warming pans with individual covers that you have to open to dip out your food with a large serving spoon.
I counted 24 items on the Indian lunch buffet. We managed to sample them all, and also summoned a couple of tall yogurt salty lassis. which unfortunately were almost too salty to serve their intended purpose as a hot-stuff antidote.
Thin rice-lentil papadums on the first table were fresh and good, admirably crisp and dry. They were also the most hot-and-spicy papadums I’ve ever tasted. I considered this a plus, but some may not. You have been warned. This table also held bowls of spicy onion and mint chutneys and a fiery red sauce.
My overall view is that the food was good, not great. I rarely expect “great” in a buffet setting. Just about all the dishes brought the same level of spice – not fiery but with ample heat – and many of them shared a consistent flavor. It was a good Indian flavor, and I enjoyed it, but I didn’t find a lot of individuality or those sudden bursts of taste surprise that I love in Indian fare. ...
Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
https://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/para ... ian-buffet
You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section later today:
https://www.leoweekly.com/2023/04/is-th ... t-is-back/
Paradise American-Indian Cuisine
12951 Shelbyville Road
230-7121
https://paradiseamericanindiancuisine.com
https://www.facebook.com/paradiseamericanindiancuisine/
https://www.instagram.com/paradise_american_cuisine/
Noise Level: Decibel levels during our visit were mostly around a loud but bearable 70dB, with frequent louder bursts that could hamper conversation.
Accessibility: The entrance and free-standing tables appear accessible to wheelchair users, but booths are up a step.
