Jaipur, "Royal Indian Cuisine" at Circle Towers on Lee Highway in Fairfax

[hoosiereph]

We usually go to Jaipur on Lee Highway.

...

Jaipur - 9401 Lee Hwy

I like Jaipur for service and decor, but I like Minerva's food better. Jaipur always has coupons in the local Clipper magazine, though.

With the portions at Curry Mantra seeming to shrink every time Tom S. recommends it (and the dosa long gone from the menu), we tried Jaipur for takeout last night after seeing the (dated) comments above and were pleasantly surprised. Our ordering did not emphasize authenticity, but everything we tried was well-prepared and enjoyable. Anyone else still going here?

The Crab Pudina appetizer is an Indian take on a crabcake -- lightly spiced, with potato as the filler, deep-fried, and served with a mint sauce. One order consisted of three, soda-can diameter cakes, each good for several bites and each bite with a mix of crab and potato. A half Tandoori chicken was a satisfyingly ordinary rendition of this standard, with a familiar flavor, crisp skin, and moist and smoky meat throughout. We should have ordered the whole chicken to ensure leftovers. The sauce for the Mango Prawn Curry was delicious, and there was a lot of it -- more than our order of Garlic Naan and the included portions of rice could sop up. The sauce showcased tender, large shrimp -- I'd have to guess 16 count -- although we would have liked to see a couple more, given the volume of sauce. The naan was fresh and good, although (as usual pretty much everywhere) we would opt for more garlic.

A row of takeout orders were lined up near the bar, just inside the entrance, so they seemed to be doing a good weeknight takeout business. Couldn't see how busy the dining room was from that vantage point, but did see two parties with South Asian faces coming and going.

It's convenient to us, and we liked everything we tried, so we'll be back, maybe even to dine in.

[John William G]

... we tried Jaipur for takeout last night .... Anyone else still going here?...

My wife and I used t go there often, but for some reason we haven't been in nearly a year. I'm not one to judge the authenticity of Indian food, but like you I have found it well prepared and enjoyable.

[Al Dente]

Note to self: don't dine out on NYE.

I've had good meals here before, but last night was a mess. Had reservations for 8pm, but they didn't have us on the reservation list. So we waited for about 20 minutes, endured some glares from someone who seemed to be either the manager or an owner, and listened in on her berating potential customers over the phone at the hostess stand. The restaurant was nearly full and they clearly weren't ready for it.

After being seated, there was some confusion over who our waiter was, but eventually we ordered. A Paratha came out nearly raw and my Lal Maas (a spicy lamb curry) had aluminum foil in it. An order of mixed pickle was huge-- far too much for us to eat without blowing out our taste buds.  I also ordered what was described as an accompaniment of onion salad that sounded like it was a side of onion, chili peppers, limes and lemons. It turned out to be a plate of five thick half-haphazardly sliced chunks of red onion and a single Serrano pepper split lengthwise. We ate the pepper with our entrees, but I didn't know what to do with what amounted to nearly an entire large onion.

To their credit, the waiter(s) and/or busboy(s) were very gracious and apologetic despite being completely slammed. They took the Paratha off the check. We had an Amazon Local deal that they wouldn't honor because it was a holiday. I didn't know what to say about that since NYE isn't technically a holiday. The coupon expires Jan 5, but I don't intend to go back any time soon, so I'll be eating that cost. Whatevs...

I truly liked some of the dishes as I have in the past, but sheesh, they were the Not Ready for Prime Time Players.

[DonRocks]

Note to self: don't dine out on NYE.

You've got some serious stones dining out at Jaipur on NYE.

The last time I was at Jaipur was for a buffet lunch with Monica Bhide back in, oh, about 1948. I'm actually glad to hear you've had good dishes here in the past (reminder to self: "Don't judge an Indian restaurant by its lunch buffet.")

[ScotteeM]

We've enjoyed the lunch buffet many times, and always meant to go for dinner. But it wasn't until we found ourselves without a kitchen (under renovation) that we finally went to Jaipur for dinner Saturday night.

The service, as always, was friendly, cheerful, attentive and not intrusive. We shared an appetizer, a couple of entrees and sides. My husband had naan and thought it was good, while I enjoyed their (gluten-free) papadum.

Our appetizer of shrimp and vegetables in a mango & black sesame sauce got us off to a wonderful start. It was creamy and nicely seasoned. Entrees were Tandoori lamb chops, cooked medium-medium rare, and Fish korma. Both were well-seasoned (OK, the lamb was a tiny bit salty for me) and delicious. We also enjoyed the Dal (included with the lamb) and a side of Baigan Bharta--smoked eggplant with tomatoes.

We ended up with leftovers that we're still enjoying. And we were left wondering why we waited so long to go there for dinner.