Gaylord Indian restaurant is tucked just one block off the main 15th Street throughway in Downtown Sacramento.
This restaurant has vacillated between simply fantastic and absolutely elite since it opened. I am pleased to say that it is approaching elite status once again.
My wife and I recently dined at Gaylord. We started with cocktails and an order of Naan. The Naan was perfectly hot with a soft center and that very slightly browned and crisp outer layer. It was brought out with a tamarind sauce and a very nice chili and mint sauce.
Our meal proper consisted of Rice Pullao, Chicken Tikka Masala, Dal Makhani, Raita, and a Chef's special Chili Paneer--plus another order of Naan (this time Garlic Naan).
One of Gaylord's four or five stars earned will always be for their excellent nuanced execution of basics like the just-so spiced Dal and the Rice with perfect consistency and the right amount of saffron flavor.
The Chicken Tikka Masala was outstanding with a flavorful sauce that let the flavor of the large chunks of tender clay oven-roasted chicken come through. Gaylord takes this staple of Indian cuisine to new heights.
You will not find Chili Paneer on the menu at Gaylord, but you've got to ask to try this house creation. Perfectly crafted cubes of farmers cheese with their slightly crisp shells and edges that give way their tender middles--very delicious and tossed in a sweet and spicy slightly sticky sauce--wow! This dish was explosive with sharply contrasting flavors and textures providing a counterpoint to our other dishes that were so elegantly nuanced.
Gaylord is an intimate restaurant with a polished atmosphere. This restaurant is free of all gimmicks (no prints of the Taj Mahal). Without the slight scent of spice or the Indian music that is interspersed with a variety of other styles, you would not know that you were in an Indian restaurant. The staff is wonderful, but the food is the star. Gaylord in Sac is not to be missed!
Pros: Food, Ambience, Food, Service, Food
Cons: Few--most Indian restaurants are inexpensive--Gaylords moderately priced
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