Thursday, January 26, 2012

Rasoi The Indian Kitchen

I don't have a wealth of experience with Indian food, but when a friend suggested lunch at Rasoi The Indian Kitchen last week, I was interested to give it a try.
Located on N. Knoxville Avenue at Pioneer Parkway in Peoria, the last time I visited the spot it was The Copperworks restaurant. The walls have since been painted a warm yellow and the restaurant has a somewhat calming appeal.
As we were seated, the waiter asked if we wanted to eat from the buffet. My friend asked if we could order from the menu and he said no, just the buffet, so buffet is what we did.
He poured us each a glass of water as we went to fill our plates.
Based on my limited knowledge of Indian food, I believe I ended up eating chicken masala, a paneer in what appeared to be a pesto-type sauce, chicken tikka, some delicate chips that were fairly salty and some fruit. There were also vegetables to make a salad with and soups, among other Indian dishes such as goat curry.
Two baskets of naan were brought to the table, which was plenty to accompany our meal.
Most of the traditional Indian dishes I tried had a hint of spicy heat to them, but nothing overpowering, and I would try any of them again.
After spotting it on the buffet, I had to finish with the rice pudding, which was a nice touch.
Since it was a buffet, service was not invasive, but we could have used a refill on our waters about midway though the meal.
On the way out my friend stopped by a table for what I thought would be mints or toothpicks, but instead took a spoonful of cardamom and asked me if I would like some. I popped some in my mouth and decided it was an unusual, but refreshing end to my meal at Rasoi.

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