I never got a chance to get you my review of Taj Mahal, because I became ungodly busy Thursday and Friday, and I wasn’t on the internet long enough on the weekend. So here goes.

It was pretty sweet.

There was a plethora of paneer options, which is a big plus in my book, as paneer is my thing, and at my favorite Indian joint (Taste of India) there’s really only a few options (especially if mattar paneer isn’t your favorite, as it is not mine).  I ended up settling on the paneer tikka masala, which was tasty — no messing around, just big cheese chunks in a yummy reddish sauce. I asked for it to be a 4/10 in spiciness and it basically wasn’t spicy at all, so  maybe next time I’ll ratchet up the spiciness. (Unless it’s like Taste and they’re just totally random with how they spice it, so it doesn’t matter what you ask for.)

The veggie pakora we got as an appetizer was good but kind of boring — it was basically all potatoes and zucchini. There’s nothing wrong with those things, but I wanted some little cauliflowers in there! And some of those crunchy spinach things!

The papadum (just had to look that up to remember what it’s called — yknow, the wafery things they force on you as an appetizer, with the two chutneys) was really good — thin and crispy, salty but not spicy. The chutneys were tasty as well.

It’s BYOB, so we, uh, BOOB, and I didn’t try any other drinks. Being a fan of masala tea, maybe next time I’ll roll with that.

Pammer, for her part, got the eggplant stuff, because she likes eggplant, and she liked it, but then it may or may not have made her slightly sick the next day. Let’s pretend it didn’t, though. Just a coincidence. Right? Eh?

That part notwithstanding, it’s Andybot Approved and Recommended. Also, for you al fresco, plein-air types, there are some outdoor tables. In the middle of a parking lot alongside McKnight Road. Don’t say they didn’t offer.

Taj Mahal

7795 McKnight Rd. (It’s right near Ross Park Mall; not sure if it’s officially Ross or McCandless).

(412) 364-1760

Sometimes it’s hard to want to eat soup when it’s hot out, but we had a few nice, cool days and a few ears of corn to use up, so….

Potato and corn chowder it is!

1. In your soup pot, fry up a sliced onion, a clove or two of garlic, and a two handfuls of chopped tomatillos (for me, this was two massive tomatillos from the market — other days it would be 10 or so littler ones) in a bit of olive oil.

2. When that’s cooked up, add a pile of cubed red potatoes (leave those lovely skins on!) and two ears’ worth of corn, sliced off of the cob.

3. Stir those around with a shake of red pepper flakes, a bit of thyme and rosemary, black pepper and a shake or so of salt. Then add enough vegetable broth to just barely cover the potatoes. Stick a bay leaf in there.

4. Let that boil a while, till the potatoes are perfect. Then with your potato masher, smash down maybe four or five or six times, to make the broth thick and potato-y. Simmer just a bit longer. Do a taste test.

5. Enjoy the heck out of this soup. It’s so flavorful — the tomatillos add a lot but if you don’t have any, maybe try adding some lemon or lime juice to up the tang.