Kalachandji’s Palace and Restaurant
5430 Gurley 75223
214-821-1048
$
Hours:
Lunch: Tues-Fri,11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and Sat, noon-2 p.m.
Dinner: Tues-Sun, 5:30-9 p.m.
Closed Mondays
The dining experience at Kalachandji’s is as much about aura as it is about the food, and the two intermingle in a way that is especially pleasing to the senses. Set inside an East Dallas Hare Krishna Temple, the eatery offers up not only authentic Indian cuisine, but also an atmosphere suggestive of a metropolitan oasis. Even on a sultry summer day, the outdoor patio provides a misty shaded spot for snacking on pappadam (thin spiced wafers) and sipping icy tamarind tea (made from the tart pulp extracted from the pod of the tamarind tree). Try the lunch or dinner buffet, where you’ll find alternating entrées day-to-day, including vegetarian enchiladas, lasagna, quiche or barbecued tofu, along with Eastern favorites such as pakora (vegetable pieces dipped in a spicy chickpea flour batter and deep-fried) and a zesty relish-esque condiment called chutney. The aforementioned isn’t news to those who have been savoring stuff at this palatable place for 25 years or so, but this information might be — manager Danny Thomas tells us you can now learn the secrets to making Kalachandji’s dishes yourself at Kalachandji’s Gourmet Vegetarian Cooking Classes with master chef Manjuali Devi. Check out Kalachandji’s web site, radhakalachandji.com, for information on classes and festivals.
