06-27-2024 Howard - Flipbook - Page 32
Best restaurants
Indian
Royal Taj
8335 Benson Drive, Columbia, 410-381-1111, royaltajmd.com
The staff swears by its checklist of how to
please patrons, a handful of to-dos that have
sent diners home happy.
“Some [customers] are really into food,”
owner Binda Singh said. “For others, it’s
ambiance, service and hospitality.
“We nail all four things.”
In an opulent setting (6 rooms, 20 crystal
chandeliers and 7 fireplaces), guests dine on
dishes of lamb and lobster, crab and chicken,
drenched in savory marinades and served by
an attentive yet unobtrusive wait crew. Here,
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one gets hooked on Chilean sea bass with
coconut sauce, or on the goat garam masala,
curried with spices and yogurt.
Reservations are required and, on busy
evenings, patrons who face untimely waits
may receive a bottle of spirits, on the house,
from the well-stocked bar filled with bourbons
and such.
“We feel good when people come happy and
leave extra happy,” said Singh, 39, who plans to
open a second venue in Middletown by year’s
end. “We want them to be our guests for life.”
Alrich Pereira, a server
and bartender at Royal
Taj in Columbia, holds a
platter of Tandoori lamb
chops, left, and chicken
Tikka Masala, right, in
the main dining room.
PHOTO BY BARBARA
HADDOCK TAYLOR
