AMBASSADOR DINING ROOM
ROYAL INDIAN CUISINE
3811 Canterbury RoadPhone: 410-366-1484
CALL FIRST TO SEE IF OPEN!!!
Personal Review {15 April 2005}:
We have visited the Ambassador a couple times over the past few months,
most recently just last week. No much has really changed with regard
to the buffet fare...little is as spicy as it should be. It just lacks
the punch. Service, though, has improved. The waiters seem to be more
attentive and less surly. The surprise of the day, however, was noting
that the buffet price had risen to $12.95. Still a relatively good deal
if you like mild Indian cuisine...and still a good deal for us in the
Hopkins area since it is a short jaunt to the restaurant. So, it's ok
for a quick lunch with reasonably good food and service, but, I still
don't think it comes close to being the best.
Personal Review {15 March 2002}:
After being turned away, AGAIN, a couple weeks ago, my wife and
I, along with a couple friends went over to the Amabassador for
their buffet lunch [of course, we called first to make sure they
were really open this time...something you should always do with
any Indian Restaurant in Baltimore!]. We were the first to arrive
for lunch. One of our group made a comment that we could eat
outside (seeing's how the weather was so nice today) and the quip
back from the waiter/host was "No you can't." Sort of set the tone
for the type of sullen service we got the rest of the meal. The
meal itself was a little better than in the past with a couple
dishes a bit spicier than before. However, the vegetarian curry
was virtually tastless and the fish dish, while reasonable good, was
full of bones making it a difficult dish to eat. One dish was some
kind of ground beef with spices (and a fair amount of greasy flavor).
The rice pudding to end the meal was good. The price for the meal
was still a good deal, $8.95, but, as noted before, there are better
Indian places to eat in Baltimore, and most with must friendlier
service. All in all, it was ok, especially since it was within
walking distance of work. But, the Ambassador Dining Room is
still not my favorite Indian restaurant by a long shot.
Personal Review :
What IS it with local Indian Restaurants?! Again we tried to go to an
Indian Restaurant on a weekend (Saturday) afternoon during regular business
hours and were turned away because of a private party. Again, no notice was
displayed, I was about to drive away after dropping my party off and find a
place to park only to hear my wife calling me back. We looked in at the
Ambassador and noticed people in the restaurant and assumed they were open
for business, as their hours indicate. As I was getting ready to drive away to
park, an employee told my wife he thought they had a private party going and
were closed. He said he would check for her. After waiting outside with the
rest of our party for what seemed an eternity, she went in to find the
employee standing at the buffet table with a plate of food in hand. Upon
seeing her, he said, "Oh. They're not opening until 5:15 today."
Incredible. Well, we've given up trying to take our visiting family to try Indian Food in Baltimore. It's not worth the hassle and frustration fighting traffic and parking only to find 'open' restaurants closed for business to the general public. We'll take our business elsewhere in the future...to a restaurant which is really open when it says it is! So much for the Ambassador and Mughal Garden!
First review - Summer 1997 :
Within walking distance of the Space Telescope Science Institute and
Johns Hopkins University (Homewood Campus) is a relatively new Indian food
restaurant located in the Ambassador Hotel Dining Room. Several people from
STScI have made the short jaunt for lunch recently and have come back with
rave reviews. Another large group of use went over today (9/12/97) to find
out for ourselves. Convenient, yes. Nice atmosphere, yes. Price not bad,
$8 for the all you can eat buffet. However, all of us agreed the food was
not up to par with Mughal Garden downtown (at which we are all regulars).
Overall, the fare was rather bland. Not hot and spicy with the intriguing
flavors typical of Indian restaurants. The cilantro based spread and chick
pea dish were the spiciest items encountered, both of which were good, as was
the ginger chicken dish. Generally speaking, we decided this wouldn't be a
bad place to visit in a pinch since it is so close, but it is unlikely to be
placed on our list of great restaurants deserving of frequent returns.
16 September 1997...
Another group of STScI people went over to the Ambassador for lunch.
They also found the fare to be bland and not very interesting. They complained
and were assured by the restaurant that more `heat' would be added to the
food starting today. So, before scurrying away to another favorite Indian
Food haunt, you might want to reserve judgement until giving the Ambassador
a first, or another, try. Maybe if enough people tell them to bring on the
heat (and flavor)...
27 May 1998...
Readers of this page claim this restaurant is a branch of the Federal Hill
Indian restaurant Banjara. They also said "this place is good, and take-out
is an especially good value." I thank my readers for their comments.
So, on the chance the quality has indeed improved, a small group of us went over to the Ambassador again today to give it another try. Although it still doesn't come up to the standards of Mughal Garden, the fare was definitely better than our previous experience last fall. The sauces were a bit on the runny-side, but they do have more zip than before. The price for the buffet is still a very reasonable $7.95 (all you can eat). Given the short walking distance from Hopkins and/or Space Telescope, and the improvement in quality, the lunch at the Ambassador was worth the trip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baltimore Magazine, February 2003 -- "50 Best Restaurants", by Dave Butcher, Hannah Feldman, and Bianco Sienra; edited by Bianca Sienra. Photography by Nicholas McIntosh
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baltimore Magazine, February 2001 -- "Our Seventy Favorite Restaurants", edited
by
Cynthia Glover; written by Dave Butcher, Linda DeLibero, and Cynthia Glover
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}
Why is the Ambassador among our favorites? For one thing, both the gorgeous garden in summer and the cozy, Tudor dining room in winter are exquisite surrounds for a dip into some of the most meticulously prepared Indian offerings around. And we love a menu that holds treats beyond the usual biryanis and tandooris (although you'll find those her e, too). Try, for example, the bengan khas appetizer--smoky roasted eggplant layered with fresh tomato, yogurt, and mint; or the mashli javeri--fresh fish in a crisp sesame-and-cornmeal crust; or a tenderloin of lamb in a sauce redolent of fennel and chives. The flavors are precise, intense, delicate; the food is prettily presented. This is fine dining, Indian style.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baltimore Magazine, February 1999 -- "75 Best Restaurants" edited by Cynthia
Glover and David Dudley
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}
When a pretty plate of shahi kormatender lamb braised in a slightly sweet cream
sauce studded with nuts and raisins arrives via tuxedo-clad waiter, you'll
understand why the Ambassador touts its Indian cuisine as "royal." The menu
combines the familiar vindaloos and tikka masalas with the more unusual
grilled shrimp Adrak marinated in lime juice and chili and served with tamarind
chutney, or salmon Javeri with a sesame-cornmeal coating and spiced tomato
sauce. Rajas will consider themselves well served.
Why go: To enjoy the decorous service, seated inside or out in the
garden when weather permits.
While you're there: Try alu chaat, a summery potato salad infused with
the flavors of black salt, roasted cumin, and asafetida.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baltimore Magazine, August 1998 -- "The Best of Baltimore" edited by Max Weiss
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}
Best Indian
The Ambassador Dining Room, 3811 Canterbury Rd., 410-366-1484, offers
"Royal Indian Cuisine" in suitably imperial surroundings: the Tudor-Gothic
dining room of the Ambassador apartment building in Tuscany-Canterbury.
Maybe its just all the architectural finery, but the Ambassadors Indian does
indeed seem a shade more elegant than most the fiery vindaloo subtler, the
tikka masala creamier. And when you sit outdoors in the peaceful patio garden
by the bubbly fountain, black-tied waitstaff gliding by with sizzling platters
of shrimp Adrak, you can almost see the Taj Mahal in the distance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baltimore Magazine, January 1998 -- "The 75 Best Restaurants", edited by
Cynthia Glover and David Dudley
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}
Moderate.
Thank goodness this hidden treasure has reopened, with the same Tudor
clubbiness that always made dinner here seem such a privilege. This time
around, though, there's a new twist: The menu is "Royal Indian." The
subcontinent's most familiar dishes are prepared with elegant reserve--our
touchstone, the peas-and-homemade-cheese concoction called matar paneer, is
creamy and delicately seasoned. And there are unusual choices as well,
including grilled Bengali swordfish with fresh mango sauce. The dining room's
intimacy makes this a prime spot for murmured romantic confessions. If you can
wait until the courtyard and fountain reopen this spring, though, so much the
better.
Do: Dress up because you want to, not because you have to.
Don't: Miss the valet parking; it's a necessary luxury.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~