Tara Kitchen Mediterranean Market, Takeout and Catering — Restaurant in Town of Guilderland

This place is a hidden gem in the capital area. Well, there's four of them in the capital city area, so I guess not so hidden.

Morroco is north African country that has been occupied by of number of peoples, and has a very unique flavor and style. It is has the robust seasoning and spice of Middle Eastern and Indian food but also uses preserved lemons, olives, nuts, apricots, raisins, saffron, dates and other unqiue flavors. . I The buffet is a nice treat @14.95. At first glance you might mistake for an Indian buffet It offers a small salad bar with vinagrette, rice, flatbread, fresh vegetables, and three meatless dishes. Meatless dishes were quite good. I had a white bean and tomato style dish, as well as a spiced lentil and garbanzo/pasta dish. Entrees were marinated chicken and some sort of tagine? style chicken dish. Dessert consisted of nice quality brownies and oranges. Tea and water were served as beverages.

If you're a bit hesitant to try this restaurant, I'd recommend their fusion dishes. They serve a very nice lamb meatball spaghetti, shepherd's pie with plum sauce, stuffed cabbages and chicken or lamb burgers. Nice morrocan flavor fused with western dishes.

Menu is A+ is designed by someone who has a good knowledge of food .

Chef Josh does a nice job cooking up the ordrers. He clearly takes price in his work. Never a bad meal from him.

If you enjor Indian or Halal food, this place is must...

It has been more than a decade since my last exposure to Moroccan food with a close friend sharing his culture. While I enjoyed those different restaurant visits with him, I definitely stopped after he completed his degree and returned home. I happened to chance upon Tara Kitchen while searching for recommended lunch spots in Albany, where I chose to stop for lunch before continuing my drive to Niagara Falls.

It's a cute little place with a small buffet spread for lunch, which I opted for since I wasn't feeling particularly picky and wanted to sample a wider variety of dishes that allows me to better gauge their culinary touch. It was a quiet day and only one other group was in the restaurant. I jumped straight in and grabbed a touch of every hot dish served.

The flavor profile was slightly different from what I remembered having with my friend. Don't get me wrong as I'm no expert in Moroccan cuisine. It was just a new experience all over again. The food is good, slightly towards the sweet fruity side, but still balanced. I was more honestly impressed that a buffet was able to serve tender cuts of chicken breast...which usually dries up and dies hard on the hot hold line.

I would return again if I'm ever in the area. It's a nice different touch on ingredients we are all...

This was a great experience. We were greeted by a very professional and nice host. After taking our seat we were served with a jasmine, honey-mint tea; it was very smooth and delightful to the palate. The mint flavor was the topping. For starters, I ordered the 3 sampler and each sauce was profoundly unique. For the entree, I ordered the SHRIMP, & FISH IN TOMATO CHERMOULA WITH BLACK OLIVES and oh my was it a different world of flavors for me. The tomato sauce was very smooth and flavorful. The fish and shrimp tasted fresh and delicious. All of it combined with the fruity and pungent black olives was enlightening. The other dish I ordered was LAMB WITH SMEN, SAFFRON, POTATOES & PRESERVED LEMONS . This was the polar opposite of the first dish; it was full of powerful flavors and very enjoyable. The serving of rice was well seasoned and matched well with both dishes.

I would love to return to try other dishes and highly recommend anyone...