From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Taj / Deerfield Beach

April 10 2009

Cove Shopping Center, 201 SE 15th Terrace, Deerfield Beach

954-427-0423

tajindianrestaurant.com

Cuisine: Indian

Cost: moderate

Hours: dinner nightly, dinner buffet Wednesday and Sunday, daily lunch buffet

Reservations: accepted

Credit cards: AE, MC, V

Bar: beer, wine

Sound level: quiet

Outside smoking: prohibited

For kids: high chairs

Wheelchair accessible: yes

First impression: We visited on one of the restaurant's $16.95 all-inclusive buffet nights and found the place packed with Indian food aficionados hungry for an all-you-can-eat exotic experience.

Ambience: Soft lighting, booth-lined walls and carved wooden screens create a sense of quiet beauty at this laid-back spot.

Starters: Start with the Taj special appetizer at $9.95, plenty for three or four to share. The overflowing plate includes grease-free onion fritters called onion bhaji; excellent samosas with crisp pastry wrapped around spiced potatoes and peas; crimson-edged chicken tikka (boneless tandoori chicken marinated in yogurt and spices, then roasted in the ultra-hot tandoor oven), and a finely textured seekh kebab made from ground meat, onions, herbs and spices that also gets the tandoor oven treatment.

Entree excellence: Butter chicken ($16.95) starts with chicken tikka combined with tomatoes, butter and cream in a sauce that screams for naan ($2.25-$4.95), those wonderful tandoori breads, to sop up every morsel of sauce. "Very Spicy" is how we requested our $13.95 order of beef vindaloo (beef curry and potatoes in a slightly sour tomato sauce), but the fire-eaters at our table proclaimed it "too mild." Curried shrimp matar ($15.95) delivered small but not overcooked crustaceans in a pleasing sauce defined by peas and gentle hints of cilantro.

Sides: Alu gobi masala, ($10.95), golden-hued cauliflower and potatoes cooked with fresh tomatoes, garlic and ginger, could make a vegetarian out of anybody. So could creamy vegetable korma ($11.95), assorted veggies in a subtle almond/raisin sauce.

Service: A cordial, attentive service team tends to your needs. Need an explanation of Indian cuisine? Just ask.

Sweet! Taj makes some of the best homemade gulab jamon ($3.95) around. They're cake-like balls doused in light syrup splashed with rose water essence. What sets these apart is their satisfying dense texture. For a soul-warming experience, try basmati rice pudding ($3.95) infused with green cardamom and almonds.

— Judith Stocks