Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/753327
PHOTOGRAPHY BY FALON MORAN Banquet call: Kebabs, curries, breads—course after course awaits guests who reserve The Taj's exclusive Maharaja Dinner, which features unusual beverage pairings, such as limited- edition bottlings from single malt Scotch distiller Laphroaig. THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, A NEW RESERVATION ALLOWS YOU TO FEAST LIKE A KING AT THE CAFÉ AT THE TAJ. BY FALON MORAN ROYAL INDIAN Royal is certainly one way to describe the Maharaja Dinner at The Café at the luxury Taj Boston hotel. Carefully placing galouti kebab, tandoori murgh, and Lucknowi lamb biryani onto a table fit for a palatial banquet, chef Gurminder Gidda does not leave an inch to spare. This winter, guests can enjoy this exclusive chef's table through a special res- ervation via the Taj. This type of extravagant feast was historically served to royalty, known in India as maharaja. But that was then, and this is now. Throughout the dinner, guests also enjoy beverage pairings—most of which may seem surprising as accompaniments to Indian cuisine: white wines from the Alsace region of France, single-malt Scotch, such as special releases from Laphroaig, and an apple sangria served in an absinthe fountain. "We are the only place in Boston serving a cocktail from an absinthe fountain," says The Café's beverage man- ager, Ross Thereault. "It's a total surprise, and guests adore it." Local Indian cuisine fanatics have long known about Gidda, who came to Boston after working for years at the Taj Mumbai. "We have many Indian foodies at the Taj Boston, as well, in all forms," says Gidda. "We cook for students, tourists, and we even do large-scale wed- dings." And dinners fit for kings—in the coldest of winter nights, there's noth- ing like it. 15 Arlington St., 617-536-5700; tajhotels .com/boston . 58 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM "WE HAVE MANY INDIAN FOODIES AT THE TAJ—IN ALL FORMS." —gurminder gidda SCENE OFF-MENU