Father Daughter Date Night

Dad with standing with a photo of his art work at a local restaurant (Kingfish Grill in St. Augustine) that purchased and displays his art!  You go dad! 
He is a very talented artist that does Gyotaku which is the art of Japanese fish printing.

Last night was father-daughter date night.  My dad and I have started sampling the Indian restaurants around town and last night we chose Mayuri Indian.  We arrived at around 5:15 and had the entire place to ourselves. (Which we are starting to joke about because every time we go to dinner this seems to be the case).


To start, we had the Vegetable Samosa, puff pastry with vegetable stuffing.  It was excellent.  Little pillows with a potato and pea stuffing that had a great potato-y texture and really good flavor.  It came with sweet tamarind sauce and fresh mint sauce which was also really good.


Before we went I had come across a recipe on Eating Well I'm dying to try called Chana aur Sarson ka Saag Biryani (Basmati Rice and Curry Casserole) which is a mixture of rice, veggies, fruit and nuts.  I had printed it out and showed the owner the recipe and he suggested the Kashmiri Biryani (Spiced basmati rice with fruits and nuts) for $10.99. 


I asked if I could just have a small side of that to try and he said no, he would need to make up a full order and convinced me to order it. 


Dad ordered the tandoori mixed grill which is chicken, lamb and shrimp grilled in clay oven.


We then asked the owner to give us "Indian level spices" and he seemed hesitant. He said OK just "don't complain that it's too hot." We readily agreed.

When our waitress brought the food out, HOLY MOLY, the portion of just mine was enough to feed me, my dad, me again for lunch the next day and about two servings for my friend Justine.    Dad's was also a huge portion size.  The mixed meats came out hot, seasoned, red and tender on a bed of cool green cucumbers with a side of yogurt sauce.  I tried a bite of each and enjoyed all of it. On mine I would have preferred more veggies to rice but I liked the sweetness from the fruit that counterbalanced the spiciness of the dish.  It had a good level of heat but dad and I seem to be on a nuclear level spice kick where we hope to self combust.

After we were done eating we asked if it was really Indian level and he confessed, no. You come back two more times and then if you really want me to I'll give you Indian level.


Over all the quality of the food is great, however, I would prefer a smaller price and smaller portion. I'm not looking to feed a family of ten here. I need about 1/2 cup rice with the fixin's.  I mainly want the taste of the spices. 
 
Kashmiri Biryani leftovers on a bed of fresh spinach

Plus:
Good service. 
Good food.
Good amount of heat on the food.
GIGANTIC portions (technically this is a plus for most people)


Minus:
Boring atmosphere.
A somewhat shabby place in a shabby strip mall. 
GIGANTIC portions.


On a scale of 1-10 I'll give it a 6.8.  Good food, boring atmosphere.

Gratitude

I went to my car to hit my lunch time yoga class.
It's 69 and sunny here! God I love Florida!

Tell me, what are YOU grateful for today?


69 Degree Sun Hitting my Gym.