Maharaja

Date
5/20/09

Location
In the Seminole Square shopping center
139 Zan Road

What I ate
Green masala chicken, naan

Who went
Matt

Website
http://www.maharaja-indian-restaurant.com/

Thoughts
If you are looking for something spicy, you will definitely not be disappointed. I don't mean to open so quickly, but that's all I can think of when I remember this dinner. Matt and I had just given blood, so maybe that had something to do with it; I know it affected how full we both felt. This dish was the second-hottest thing I've ever eaten in Charlottesville, and I only asked for "hot" on the scale of mild, medium, hot, and Indian hot. The first was the flatliner wings at the Wing Factory, but that's been out of business for a few years now. I don't want to discourage spicy-averse eaters as I'm sure "mild" won't be a problem, but I'm just scared of Indian hot. Just remember that when you visit.

The spiciness did not completely obscure the flavor; mine was tasty even if I don't usually think of jalapeno peppers when I think Indian food. The chicken was pretty good and the traditional "put a bunch of rice on your plate and cover it with the sauce" method worked really well. I'm impressed with how full I felt after what looked like a small bowl of chicken and vegetables. The naan was also really good and helped quell the heat.

The service was really good - I barely had to put my water glass down and it was full again - though that could be because the place was empty. I don't know what their usual customer load is on a Wednesday at dinner time, but it felt a little weird to be one of three groups there with so many person-free tables. It was a tasty meal and I left quite full, but it just felt a little too expensive. The obvious comparison is Milan and, it has been a few months since I last visited there, I remember a tasty, filling meal but not being surprised at the price. Maybe someone can take a look at the menus and tell me I'm wrong, but I'm a bit too lazy to look that up right now.

Recap
Pros - Very filling, good service
Cons - Very hot, a little overpriced
Overall - Unfortunately for Maharaja, it just feels like a slightly-worse version of Milan, which is down 29 just a little ways. The food is good and it's worth a visit, but you're probably better off sticking with Milan for your Indian food in Charlottesville.