Jaipur on Randolph

Wanting to try something different on Randolph (and to satisfy her desire for Indian food), a friend and I ventured to Jaipur last night. We were there on the early side as we had Bulls tickets. We were the first people in the place, but a few other tables were filled by the time we left. We started with an order of vegie samosas, which my friend declared almost as good as Hema's (her benchmark.) They were flavorful and seemed prepared well. We split a chicken vindaloo, a dal makhani and a plain naan. The vindaloo had decent heat. We ordered it "medium" and I think I'm more of a spice wimp than I realize as my nose was running constantly. I've had vindaloo a few times and thought the sauce was usually more creamy than what we had last night. It was flavorful though, and the chicken chunks were moist. The dal makhani was a blend of different lentils and beans. It was tasty, but I don't have any baseline. I supplemented my meal with a mango lassi to help cut the spiciness.

Overally, I enjoyed the meal. (I would have rather have been at Avec, but I couldn't persuade my friend to go east.) I am a novice with Indian food so I can't speak to Jaipur's authenticity. It was a decent option.

Jaipur
847 W Randolph St, Chicago
312-526-3655
http://www.jaipurchicago.com

I've been down for the lunch buffet a few times, $15 I think, always impressed.

I had lunch there today. The somosas were really good. Just as good as Hemas on Devon. I had the grilled (clay pot) variety dish that included different meats (chiken, fish, lamb and sausage) and an order of naan. Evereything was great. I hope it survives, I plan to go back soon.

A colleague and I stumbled into Jaipur after a work party on Randolph about a year ago. Having both really enjoyed it, we finally made it back with a party of six.

After last night's meal, I can say it's the best North Indian in Chicago, and some of the best I've ever had (this coming from a half-Indian that grew up in Central Jersey, and went to high school in Edison; aka, Little India).

We ordered strong, so I'll note the standouts:
"Chef's Special Appetizer" - seekh kabob and chicken tikka w/ special suace. The sauce was great, but the star was lamb kabob, which is a looser version and fell apart in our mouths.

"Amchur Macchi" - salmon in a beet and mango powder sauce. With smaller chunks of salmon, it risked being overcooked, but they nailed it last night.

"Chicken Tikka Masala" - tandoori chicken in a curry. This was incredible. It had a not so subtle smokey flavor which added depth to the sauce.

"Shrimp Saag" - shrimp cooked with spinach and herbs. The shrimp were really freaking good, but the saag was the star here. Not at all watery, with a hint of nuttiness. It's the same saag I had a year go, but with lamb. It is confirmed that Jaipur serves the best saag I've ever had.

"Malai Kofta" - cottage cheese with nuts and fruits in a cream sauce. Simply a solid version.

"Lamb Vindaloo" - The only dish I wouldn't recommend. The lamb was great, but the sauce was not what I'm used to...too watery. For a lamb dish, go with a korma instead


The only downside is that Jaipur is a little pricier than other places in town....damn you Randolph Street!

My wife is North Indian (came here when she was 14), and she and her family would absolutely agree that Jaipur is cooking up the best North Indian cuisine in the city right now. They prefer the vegetarian options by a very small margin, but none of the chicken or lamb dishes have ever disappointed.

The wife particularly recommends any tandoor options. The tandoori paneer tikka came to mind right away. They do a very good garlic naan as well.

I stumbled across Jaipur a few days ago when searching for a restaurant close to downtown and 90/94. My dining companion & I were pleasantly surprised.

While I don't feel qualified to judge whether it's the *best* on the north side, at minimum it's very good. My favorite dish was the tandoori lamb chops--about 6 to an order, and each was bone-sucking good! I thoroughly enjoyed my meal.

I tend to think too much when I eat. Sometimes the only way I know that I really like something is if I keep going back to it throughout the meal; that's my ass-backwards way of figuring out if it tastes good. Few nights ago at Jaipur, I kept going back to the Chicken Makahni, a "butter chicken" common in the Punjab region:



I love this dish. Creamy, slight heat, chicken that has cooked for a while in the sauce to fully absorb it, fantastic. I believe the flecks on green are fenugreek. Naan necessary to sweep up dribbles.

The West Loop will lose another longtime restaurant. Jaipur, the Michelin Bib Gourmand Indian restaurant that’s been open for nearly 11 years and predated most of the chef-driven spots on Randolph Restaurant Row, will shutter on July 22

https://chicago.eater.com/2018/7/16/175 ... food-intel