When Kishore Kripalani was looking for someone to design Gaylord Indian Restaurant, he turned to Jeffrey Levinson from the Arrowsmith Design Group. After a career in the hybrid long term care business, Jeffrey Levinson decided to approach the restaurant’s layout with a touch of India without being overly ethnic. So he went with touches of paisley fabric in curry gold, mocha, and brown, a rich lentil green-brown rug, and a contemporary armor-like dotted gold and mocha covering for the banquettes. He then used some antique wall hangings, wooden statues, and plants to finish the look.
Gaylord Indian Restaurant offers you the very best of Northern Indian cuisine in style. The Indian-inspired establishment is situated at Menlo Park, on what previously used to house the Papa Renato Trattoria. The elegant and stylish Gaylord Indian Restaurant easily stands out from its more modest counterparts in the bay area. Their wonderful service starts with a warm maitre d’s welcome as you enter. One of the things that instantly grabs your attention is the unwavering attention of the wait staff, it is as if they have a 6th sense when it comes to pacing. What’s more, not once will you witness them making an unwelcome intrusion.
The establishment’s elegantly furnished dining rooms are a sight to behold. Beamed and wood-paneled, the dining areas feature a beautiful fireplace, alongside a tasteful selection of Jodhpuri art: photos of court, village, and religious life, hand-painted on cloth with the most meticulous attention to detail. During the evening, the neatly linened tables flicker with votive candles, creating a very elegant look. High-pitched but not disconcertingly loud instrumental Indian music creates a subtly exotic air to the general atmosphere of graceful formality.
As cracker-like lentil wafers simply referred to as Papadums make their way to the table you can’t help but anticipate tasting the intensely peppery and delicate dish. This delight comes dipped in a chutney-like sour and sweet relish made with tamarind and raisins, and yogurt blended in cilantro, chili, and mint. It is a dish that you will be hard-pressed not to love. Gaylord Indian Restaurant also offers four selections of an all-inclusive royal feast, which is common in Northern Indian cuisine. Among these four selections, perhaps none is more inviting than the Maharani. To start, you can choose from two delicious soups: a lentil-based light-textured dal, and a peppery chicken broth known as mulligatawny that was made popular by the British Raj. The first soup selection is more piquant than overly spicy and embodies the deft use of seasonings by the Indian restaurant. It is served hot, with lemon quarters and a bright garnish of baby peas on the side.
Nan, which goes for $2.5 is a great accompaniment for your order. It comes from the tandoor oven properly browned and puffy and becomes more addictive with every bite. The Maharani royal feast features kulcha, a spiced, flatter, nan with green onion stuffings.
