Imperial Palace

 

2

2

Bayard M.

San Francisco, CA

I think this place has closed down. I tried to eat there tonight and it was locked up. I dialed both numbers on the awning and got a this number is disconnected message. A little sad. I was looking forward to having a another food option in Greenpoint.

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Elite '08

89

666

Heath R.

Brooklyn, NY

This restaurant is enormous. Upstairs -- check out the strip-lit steps and mirrored side panels -- there's a sizable dining room, which can be quite empty after 9 p.m. on a weekend. There's a raised dance floor area, and it's clear that the space was designed as a function hall as well as a restaurant.

Let's focus on the restaurant aspect first. C. and I got home from our weekend away late yesterday and wanted to eat dinner -- but not order in -- after 9 p.m. We walked to Manhattan and were thrilled to learn that there were several restaurants open until 11. We'd had a yen for Indian earlier in the day, so we tried Imperial Palace.

We started with the basics: Chana masala and saag paneer, with an order of naan and two vegetable samosas to start. The samosas were excellent, which bode well for the rest of the meal. Then we got our entrees. The saag paneer was as good as any I've had, and the chana masala was awesome -- perhaps the best chana masala I've ever had. The sauce was thin and flavorful -- not at all heavy -- and the non-chickpea ingredients (tomato, etc.) were fresh and finely chopped. Worth it just for the chana masala!

The service was also excellent. Our Polish waitress -- a surprise, actually -- was cute and friendly, and the chef, a turbaned man, came out to see what we thought of the food. We also got a free dessert, a thin rice pudding that was quite delish.

But there's more to this place! On the other side of the entry hallway is an entire other room, a function hall larger than the main dining room. It, too, sports a dance floor, and there appeared to be plenty of lights, mirrors, and perhaps even a disco ball to augment an event's ambience. When I tried to sneak upstairs to see what was one more level up, I got stopped by a young man who'd been talking on the phone in the coatroom. I acted like I wanted to see the function hall, so he took me back, turned on all the lights and let me check it out.

If anyone knows what's upstairs, let me know. The Imperial Palace is pretty cool -- and I'm jazzed there's solid Indian food in Greenpoint!

Update: The leftovers reheat well, too! Great leftovers.

Update: Be sure you dine in or pick up because the delivery is lousy. I placed an order at 7 p.m. via Delivery.com and got a call from a woman working there saying they were out of mango ice cream within minutes. I didn't get my food until 8:30 or so and had to call back twice to be sure my order was on its way. When the delivery kid arrived, he told me I should order by phone because the fax takes too long. Had I not talked to the woman right after ordering, I may have been inclined to believe him. As it is, their delivery is slooow. You deserve better.

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