A Review of The Taj's Goat Biryani (by April on April 28,2012):
"You think you're baaaaaad?! Bring it Maaaaaaa-ma!".
Indian
food is one of my favorite things-- though I'm ashamed to say that my
experience with the authentic sort has been limited to merely an odd lunch
buffet or two at one of the little places in my hometown; even then, most of
the time I stuck to the dishes which looked less exciting. I'm not sure what
was stopping me, however knowing what I now know about what I can and cannot
eat, due to my condition, I am glad that I often played it safe. On the bright
side, I am now more efficiently equipped to make the educated decisions I must
when it comes to choosing foods, ergo I can enjoy things which I would not have
tried in the past.
Before the edification concerning my diet, I would opt for things like "Tasty Bite Chana Masala" or the Lamb Samosas obtainable from our local grocery store which-- thinking about it now-- is roughly the same as carrying a knock-off Hermes Birkin Bag: you get to feel important and worldly for having something different and exotic, but at the end of the day it's a fake of poorer quality and you know it. That's not to say that having the option to grab some "Indian" dishes at the food court (or carrying an Airmess Schmirkin Sac) isn't nice at times, but that I am aware that said preparations are absolutely not as good as the real stuff.
Will had previously enjoyed Goat Biryani from a joint called The Taj, which is located in downtown Binghamton, Ny; given the sheer, ecstatic pleasure he'd derived from the experience (because he loved the dish nearly as much as he hates goats-- one goaded him on a walk once), he wanted one of our reviews to cover The Taj's version specifically, and had indeed expressed this desire-- on multiple occasions-- even before we started the site officially. He was so adamant, I feared that he would snap and I would awaken-- bleary-eyed and choking-- as he attempted to feed Goat Biryani to me in my sleep, listening intently to ascertain whether or not I made happy eating sounds amidst the gasps for air.
And thus, for this weekend's review we tasted--
Goat Biryani from The Taj:
We ordered the dish as take-out since I wasn't feeling well enough to leave the apartment that night, and what was really neat was that The Taj has a website on which you may request, and pay for, your food. At the time, though, our internet was being a bit of a non-animate schmendrick, so the phone was used.
When Will and Kenny went to get the food, the man who handed it over had suggestions for which of the sauces we should use on our servings. I am sad to say that I don't know the specific names for the sauces, but have an inkling as to their general composition. There was a creamy sauce which was similar to a Greek tzatziki, a thin tomato-based option, an angry-looking red-orange concoction made up of some very small and potent peppers, and a green herb number.
Will served up our portions, doling out heaps of attractive and fragrant rice and arranging the bits of goat meat around the edges, all the time explaining that the rice was roasted with the goat and would have soaked up the fat and juices from the meat. The goat, in appearance, reminded me of a lean pot roast. On the side we each had a piece of tender and flakey tandoori naan.
I decided to use the creamy, thin red, and green pepper sauces-- applying small dollops of each to my rice and mixing the meat in with the lot; my immediate impressions were that goat tastes similarly to lamb, and that the rice and goat were very well-prepared. The sauces were wonderful and had blended with the other flavors into a nice amalgam of sweet, sour, and spicy-- replete with hints of molasses, celery, and cardamom (though not as much cardamom as I had anticipated). Not a bit seemed too greasy, though after finishing all of the rice, I noticed that the goat by itself was a tiny bit overdone and dry-- however not to its detriment.
In the end I had found a new favorite Indian dish-- the effect of which was to lift my spirits, clean my sinuses, and make my heart sing! I loved it, and I did indeed make happy eating sounds while I gnoshed.
Before the edification concerning my diet, I would opt for things like "Tasty Bite Chana Masala" or the Lamb Samosas obtainable from our local grocery store which-- thinking about it now-- is roughly the same as carrying a knock-off Hermes Birkin Bag: you get to feel important and worldly for having something different and exotic, but at the end of the day it's a fake of poorer quality and you know it. That's not to say that having the option to grab some "Indian" dishes at the food court (or carrying an Airmess Schmirkin Sac) isn't nice at times, but that I am aware that said preparations are absolutely not as good as the real stuff.
Will had previously enjoyed Goat Biryani from a joint called The Taj, which is located in downtown Binghamton, Ny; given the sheer, ecstatic pleasure he'd derived from the experience (because he loved the dish nearly as much as he hates goats-- one goaded him on a walk once), he wanted one of our reviews to cover The Taj's version specifically, and had indeed expressed this desire-- on multiple occasions-- even before we started the site officially. He was so adamant, I feared that he would snap and I would awaken-- bleary-eyed and choking-- as he attempted to feed Goat Biryani to me in my sleep, listening intently to ascertain whether or not I made happy eating sounds amidst the gasps for air.
And thus, for this weekend's review we tasted--
Goat Biryani from The Taj:
We ordered the dish as take-out since I wasn't feeling well enough to leave the apartment that night, and what was really neat was that The Taj has a website on which you may request, and pay for, your food. At the time, though, our internet was being a bit of a non-animate schmendrick, so the phone was used.
When Will and Kenny went to get the food, the man who handed it over had suggestions for which of the sauces we should use on our servings. I am sad to say that I don't know the specific names for the sauces, but have an inkling as to their general composition. There was a creamy sauce which was similar to a Greek tzatziki, a thin tomato-based option, an angry-looking red-orange concoction made up of some very small and potent peppers, and a green herb number.
Will served up our portions, doling out heaps of attractive and fragrant rice and arranging the bits of goat meat around the edges, all the time explaining that the rice was roasted with the goat and would have soaked up the fat and juices from the meat. The goat, in appearance, reminded me of a lean pot roast. On the side we each had a piece of tender and flakey tandoori naan.
I decided to use the creamy, thin red, and green pepper sauces-- applying small dollops of each to my rice and mixing the meat in with the lot; my immediate impressions were that goat tastes similarly to lamb, and that the rice and goat were very well-prepared. The sauces were wonderful and had blended with the other flavors into a nice amalgam of sweet, sour, and spicy-- replete with hints of molasses, celery, and cardamom (though not as much cardamom as I had anticipated). Not a bit seemed too greasy, though after finishing all of the rice, I noticed that the goat by itself was a tiny bit overdone and dry-- however not to its detriment.
In the end I had found a new favorite Indian dish-- the effect of which was to lift my spirits, clean my sinuses, and make my heart sing! I loved it, and I did indeed make happy eating sounds while I gnoshed.