COLUMBIA'S LUNCH REVIEW

It may still look like a Chinese restaurant on the outside, but inside the pagoda-style building located on the edge of the Boozer Shopping Center that used to house the Peking Palace is some of the best creations from the sub-continent you will find in Columbia.

Rabbit and I cannot disagree more about Indian food. He hates it, and I love it. He thinks it all tastes and smells like curry. I think that no cuisine in the world uses more variety and spice to ignite a full-blown party in your mouth. So, since Rabbit was out of the office on Thursday, we took two carloads of workers over to the Bombay Grill to face their fare for the first time. Most of us are experienced Indian eaters; Captain Understatement and I used to put it down weekly in Five Points, and Tex took a long vacation to India about a year ago and explored its culinary goodness. However, kudos to Frodo, who was so bold as to trust this motley crew with his first Indian food experience; boy, was he rewarded for his faith.

Bombay Grill offers up a wide variety of vegetarian options, as well as a few chicken dishes on its appetizing and well-kept buffet. The chutney selection was great; the mint chutney saved my mouth when I enthusiastically ate a whole pepper that was a part of the smorgasbord of pakoras. The Publican tried to act like those peppers weren't hot. He is a liar who cannot be trusted (unless he posting on this blog, of course - we edit him).

The star dish this day was the chicken tikka masala. This curry dish contained the perfect mixture of tomato sauce and cream, producing that rich, orange color that would make even Rabbit's mouth water. Although I would have enjoyed a more intense "heat," the level was just right for an Indian buffet meant to please all comers. The chicken was cut generously and remained succulent, never succumbing to the continued heat that a buffet necessarily applies. Served atop an airy basmati rice, the chicken tikka masala is reason alone for me to make another trip out to the Bombay Grill soon.

However, I believe that the true test of success was how Frodo, our Indian-first-timer, enjoyed his introduction the spicy, savory delights of India. The little guy seemed genuinely impressed by the range of options and flavors that the dishes offered. He was enamored by the fried goodness of the pakora-style peppers, and he claimed that every thing he ate was tasty. He enjoyed the meal so much that, at one point, he leaped onto his chair and began singing its praises in an elvish tongue while rubbing his belly - it was an embarrassing moment for us and served as a reminder why he doesn't get invited to lunch very often.

Frodo claims that the Bombay Grill has made him a believer in Indian food. I would call that the definition of a successful lunch.

- Tank