Taste of India 1 — Restaurant in McMinnville

I've never been to India, but I imagine this restaurant gives you a great idea of what it's like. Conveniently located on 3rd Street, I knew it had to be at least somewhat good because the competition on this street is tough.

Most of the Indian places I've visited are closer to Portland. This one being so far out, I had to see what this one is all about.

It has many of the signature dishes you'll find at most places: Tikka Masala (of course), butter chicken, etc. They also have traditional Indian favorites like lamb. But don't be fooled; this isn't "americanized" Tikka Masala or toned-down foods for the masses. This is very flavorful, spicy stuff.

Let's talk about the ingredients. Top-notch for everything. None of this food was reheated from the freezer. Nowhere close. You may laugh, but many Indian restaurants do this. While Naan bread might be a silly thing to point out, I can definitely tell when it's pre-packaged or mass-produced Naan. This sort of thing matters to me, and the naan here was certainly made here, and it is fresh and awesome. They put "twists" on it with garlic and cheese, and we ordered these variations. They did not disappoint.

As for the ingredients for the main dishes, they are of the highest quality. There's no doubt they use the freshest and best chicken and lamb, and the sauces are magnificent. If you like "spicy," they get it just right. Hot with a great kick, but not overpowering the flavor. Every dish we had was full of great taste, hot, and fresh.

As for service, it's excellent. We arrived when the restaurant was full; however, they gave us an accurate wait time. Once seated, we were treated amazingly, with attentive staff. They had IT issues with the credit card processing (not their fault) but assured us they'd do whatever they could to fix things. In spite of the obvious stress of this situation, everyone was friendly and nice. It seems to be a family-run operation.

The decor and ambiance is something I personally don't care much about. However, this place is clean, the lighting is nice, and it feels and smells like a place you want to be.

There are plenty of drink options available. Though I rarely order alcohol, they had many options available.

The price was what I would expect for this type of restaurant. Not super cheap, not super expensive. I felt it was a great price for what we got.

Who would like this? It's a nice enough place to "dress up" and go out for a nice dinner. However, I don't think anyone here would care if you just walked in with sweatpants looking for some good Indian food. If you want true Indian food and not watered-down fare to appeal to Americans, come here. It's full of flavor and spices. Beware that when they say "hot" for the spice, they mean it.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this establishment and...

I feel compelled to share how wonderful this restaurant is. We tried the following: Appetizers: Chicken Chilli Dry; medium. Second favorite dish, like a marriage between kimchi and enchilada sauce, but with the most tender chicken. GF garlic naan: a bit chewy, but it’s gluten free- how high can my standards be? Drinks: Jaljeera Mojito: a MUST. So refreshing and minty without being overly sweet. Raw Mango: this drink is not orange- it is bright green and a bit syrupy, more like aloe than classic mango flavoring. Delicious. Entrees: Butter Chicken; medium, was phenomenal! Favorite dish, creamy, tender, everything you want. Not as much heat as I expected. If you like pollo a la crema, start here. Vindaloo; medium, balanced spices: imagine a beef stew; comforting, safe for the non-adventurous. Lamb is high-quality. Chicken Curry; mild, not as bright as a flavor as a place like Thai Country, more cumin, earthy. Doesn’t need heat when it tastes this good. Mutton Dum Biryani; medium, generous portion and high-quality lamb. Excellent service; for a new restaurant was pleasantly surprised. Perfect dining experience with such reasonable prices- especially considering all the meats were divine. Will order...

It is Christmas time, so what is better than to warm up with Indian food. Stopped by after Christmas shopping, and I am glad I did. It was not busy and was seated . We started off with Somasa, which was great. The somasa was crisp and hot, and even though I am not a vegan...the Somasa somehow had the consistency of meat inside of it.. to me, it was perfect. My wife had the Chicken Byrami, and the serving was more than enough and served in a copper pot... which was hot off the stove. I had the lamb Vendaloo, and it was also great. When I ordered the Vendaloo, I ordered medium spice... but it was spicy. I am sure if I had ordered the HOT, I would not make it home. So if you like Vendaloo and don't like spicy orders, the regular one.. you will still enjoy it. Both dishes were wonderful. The service was excellent, and the atmosphere was casual, with the TV in the corner of a full bar. One other thing is that the restaurant was very clean to include the bathroom. It was clean and bright and looks to be maintained on a regular basis So, should you go to Taste of India One, I would highly recommend it. A dinner for 2 should run you about $70 without tip. So...