I’m still hungry for some good Indian food

Sometimes you just get a taste for Indian food. At least I do. And Spokane has at least three locations at which I've eaten. Here, here and here.

That final one, The Taaj, was closed for some time. But it was open when my brother and I stopped by the other night. Wish I could say the stop was worth it. Ah, but not. While I can't complain about the beer (which was cold and came quickly), and the service was friendly (only one other table was taken), the food was distinctly so-so.

We ordered samosa as a starter, which was tasty enough though it seemed to have been cooked a bit past its typical golden-brown color. We followed that with two Tandoori dishes, my brother the lamb, me the mixed grill, and an order of garlic naan.

Our meals came served on impressive plates, steaming and covered with onions and peppers. But the meat was overcooked, as if it had been sitting on a buffet plate all day. And neither of us could finish. Not even the naan, which cooled quickly and became as brittle as an over- toasted flour tortilla.

The final verdict: I took half of my meal away in a to-go box. But when I asked my brother if he wanted to take it home with him, he just looked at me and grunted.

The amateur critic had spoken. I wasn't about to argue.