For my friend Tricia, dining out often means Indian.
I don’t often eat the cuisine these days — I tend to be easily distracted by other options out there, and while my 5-year-old is pretty adventurous, she hasn’t been wowed by the cuisine yet. So, I love it when I go out with Tricia because it always reminds me that Indian is one of my favorites.
It was a new restaurant this time: Persis Indian Grill, just past Rhinehart’s and across the street on Washington Road. It’s not the first Indian dining spot in the shopping center; many might remember the old Bombay Central restaurant, which was located a couple storefronts down. Persis Indian Grill is a franchise, with locations in 22 cities in 12 states, including Columbia, Savannah and Alpharetta, Ga.
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The grill welcomes you with its bright red and yellow storefront, along with the heady scent of spices wafting into the parking lot. The colorful theme continues indoors with sapphire blue and mustard walls, bright orange booths and chairs and a dark wood bar sparkling with bottles.
Our smiling waiter handed us each a full binder. In other words, the menu is immense, and as he explained, covers cuisine from across India. There are a variety of starters: the familiarly Indian samosas and pakoras, the more unusual traditional foods such as goat sukkha or onion chili salad, and foods we’d normally associate with other cultures, such as lobster bisque or hot and sour soup.
Persis Grill has an expansive menu. Photo by Danielle Wong Moores. 
Persis Grill has an expansive menu. Photo by Danielle Wong Moores.
The menu’s South Indian Corner features options such as dosas, thin rice crepes stuffed with savory fillings, or uttapams, rice and lentil pancakes topped with an assortment of vegetables. Chaat Corner offers India’s version of tapas, or snacks. Egg-O-Mania serves up Indian omelets, scrambled eggs or a boiled egg curry. Indo-Chinese cuisine merges Indian and Chinese flavors in noodle and rice dishes, among others. Tandoori features chicken, lamb, salmon and other proteins roasted in a clay oven.
The Non-Vegetarian and Vegetarian sections of the menu feature most of the curries and other saucy dishes. An entire page is devoted to multiple varieties of the Indian bread, naan. Biryani features basmati rice and Indian spices with a yogurt raita, with a choice of protein. And the menu ends with a selection of milk-based desserts.
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To say the list of options was overwhelming is an understatement. Even Tricia was googling some of the options with me, trying to figure out what to order. When we turned in slight desperation to our waiter with his bright smile, he suggested the lamb chops, the chicken curry or the tikka masala.
We decided to go with one of his recommendations, the lamb chops.
“How spicy would you like them?” he asked.
And when I hesitated, he jumped right in: “You should get them medium for the flavor, and they are not too spicy.”
Tricia ordered the chicken korma, then we decided on the garlic naan for the table, as well as the veg sampler as an appetizer.
Persis’s menu covers cuisine from across India. Photo by Danielle Wong Moores Persis’s menu covers cuisine from across India. Photo by Danielle Wong Moores
We had just a few moments to catch up before the food began to arrive. The veg sampler was a platter piled with battered and deep-fried goodness.
We both started with a large puffy wedge.
“Oh, it’s the cheese thing,” cried Tricia.
I cut into it, and it was a paneer pakora, a pillow of soft mild and slightly nutty Indian cheese, wrapped in a fried blanket.
Next were a tangle of crisp battered vegetables; then I tried one of the fat jalapenos that burned like fire in the mouth. We shared a plump samosa, stuffed with spiced potatoes and finally tasted the aloo tikki; crisp, brown, warm, spicy potato patties that hid a delicious softness inside.
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We both gasped as the lamb was set on the table, beautifully presented on a black rectangular plate, the grilled chops on a bed of onion and garnished with cilantro, with a starburst of sauce boldly inscribed next to it. The grilled lamb was beautifully tender, and deeply crusted in spices that gave warm heat. Our server’s advice was just right. While the aromatic flavor was unexpected, I liked it, especially with the fragrant basmati rice.
Persis’s menu covers cuisine from across India. Photo by Danielle Wong Moores Persis’s menu covers cuisine from across India. Photo by Danielle Wong Moores
The chicken korma, with its cashew and cream sauce, was nutty and fresh — I could taste other spices, but I’d fail the challenge to identify them. And when the warm naan, topped with fresh garlic butter, came to the table, I found myself eating one after the other. It was the best naan I’ve ever had.
Soon we noticed we were one of the last parties in the restaurant, and blushing, I asked for the check. Our server brought us containers for our leftovers (I enjoyed mine for lunch the next day!) and kindly brought us each a container of basmati rice besides.
We stayed and talked in the parking lot for a while longer, joining another large table that was doing the same. It seemed none of us wanted the night to end. The food —and the company— was that good.
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Make Your Reservation
Persis Indian Grill
3112 Washington Rd., Suites J and K
Dinner entrée cost: $10.99 to $15.99
Danielle Wong Moores is a local freelance writer who’ll never turn down a shrimp cocktail, sushi or cheese dip. Her greatest food influences are her mom and writers MFK Fisher and Amanda Hesser. Her Dine and Dish column runs the second and fourth Friday of each month.
