Lunch Is More than Palatable at the Spice Grill

Parsippany is blessed to have a host of Indian restaurants as part of its community. One of these fine establishments offers a can't-miss lunch buffet popular with both the business crowd and citizens of Indian ancestry. The food is delicious, and at $8.95, the price is a steal. Seriously, if you're looking for a lunch off the beaten path, Spice Grill is worth a visit.

Each week, Patch picks a great restaurant either in town or nearby that is worth checking out. Here's this week's choice:

Spice Grill's lunch buffet presents a handful of varied choices to provide a decent sampling of Indian fare. We started with a salad that included cucumber, tomato, red onion and lettuce. The restaurant provides a number of dressings, but we opted to go with a traditional Indian raita, which is made with cucumber and yogurt. The dressing was cool, light and mildly flavored, a perfect accompaniment and a fine palate cleanser.

Entree choices included Tandoori chicken (Tandoori Murghi), the red-hued Indian mainstay. Pieces of chicken are marinated for hours in yogurt and spices and then slow-cooked in a Tandoor (an earthen Indian oven) until the meat turns red. Spice Grill's version was tender and simply delicious, though it was not nearly as spicy as previous versions we've tried (or as the traditional version we prepare at home). A waiter told me that the restaurant tempers spicing to appeal to American tastes. We can appreciate the effort, though admittedly, we love authentic spicing. 

Also on the menu was one of our favorite dishes, Chicken tikka masala, which features tender chunks of chicken served in a mild and creamy tomato-based sauce. Despite the cream, this dish was not at all heavy, and the spicing was absolutely perfect. Delicious!

Next we sampled something we'd never tried before: Aloo cabbage, essentially a curry made with cabbage, potatoes and grated coconut. We tend to avoid dishes including coconut due to an allergy, but we didn't know. And despite the breakouts now plaguing us, we are happy we did. This dish was a revelation: smoky in flavor, light in heft, and hinting at a world of spicy goodness. The waiter suggested adding diced green chilis for additional kick. We may try that eventually, but Spice Grill's version was out-of-this-world good as presented. Next time, we'll do a coconut-free version.

Another vegetarian dish offered was Baingan Bharta, or eggplant curry. This offering could have been spicier, but the flavor of the roasted eggplant shone through beautifully. Very tasty, as was Kadai Paneer, a North Indian delicacy featuring paneer (a fresh Indian soft cheese) with bell peppers sauteed in a intensely flavorful but lightly spicy tomato gravy.

In addition to the buffet, Spice Grill offers lunch specials: a vegetable platter runs $7.50, a chicken platter goes for $8.00 and a lamb platter is $9.00. These platters include dal (lentils), rice and bread.

As soon as we sat down at our table, a waiter appeared with a basket of warm, fluffy naan, a Middle Eastern flatbread. We found the bread impressive all by itself, but then, so was the service. The wait staff made sure we had plenty of water and was on call to answer whatever questions we had. And the atmosphere was quite relaxing: A big-screen television played Indian-language news while mellow Indian music played in the background. 

Spice Grill gave us the best lunch for under 10 bucks that we've had in ages. No, it wasn't the most authentic Indian eatery we've tried by a long shot, but the all-around experience of being there was simply wonderful. We'll be back.

Spice Grill is located at 111 Route 46 East in the Rutgers Village Shopping Center. It is open daily from 11a.m. until 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. (weekends until 10:30 p.m.) For more information, give the restaurant a call at (973) 882-4646 or visit its website.