We found a new Indian restaurant last night. It’s on Central Ave…way out towards Sylvania. In what used to be “Mecca” restaurant. They had only been open a few days so we went for supper last night. It’s called Indian Kitchen/Mysore Gardens. Apparently they have about 8 restaurants in the Detroit area, but this is their first venture into the Toledo market.

The atmosphere was great. Probably most of the decor of Mecca was still in tact (including what looked like the giant WOK bowl from the CISP conference room), it was a very cool looking restaurant. The main chef was visible to the dining area behind a curved bar/wall. And the feature that drew the eye immediately was the Tandoor oven, with big blue flames inside, clearly visible at the end of the curved bar.

The staff was attentive and quick, if a little overwhelmend. They were short staffed b/c one server just didn’t show up, and the restaurant was packed because of the Festival of India that was underway just down the street. Our server stayed happy and smiley though, even though she had to cover the whole restaurant. They had some of the kitchen staff and a buss boy pitching in to help her out. You could tell they were a little embarrassed and would be a great staff under more relaxed conditions. I ordered the “Chilly Chicken” which was very tasty, if not at all what I expected. It was more like wings or fireballs from Jed’s, but with a little bit of Indian “flare.” I got the Thali option which included sambar, raitha, and bonda along with a bread. The bread was awesome! Desert was rasmalai and it was delicious!

The only real shortcoming was the spicyness. I ordered my dish “very spicy” and it was hardly hot. With a little training, I’m sure they’ll be able to cater to my desires though. 😉 All in all, it was a great dining experience. They have a HUGE menu, so it will be fun trying some of the new things that aren’t available at Tandoor. It’s nice to have an option now for Indian dining in Toledo!