Bodog Beat

We were so excited about our Indian food at Gaylord last night that we forgot to take the picture until we were almost done. (Bodog Beat Image)

If you had a choice to grab a bite during the 2008 WSOP but needed to stay close to the action because you're playing, working or lazy and you had to choose between the "All-American Bar and Grille" and "Gaylord India Restaurant," which would you choose? Like most red-blooded males, you would probably choose the former based on name alone. Do. Not. Make. That. Mistake. Get past the name and dig into the food.

(Although, if you don't like Indian food then your decision is obvious. We're just saying on a name basis. That's all)

Anyway, after hanging out at the pool for a while and visiting Circus! Cirus! (to be highlighted later in a post called "Casino's We're Glad Aren't Hosting the WSOP), we decided to make a trip to our absolute favorite restaurant from our sojourn at the Rio last year, Gaylord Indian. We were not disappointed in the slightest as it lived up to every delicious memory that we have.

Tucked away in a corner of the Rio, down a side hall between the high-limit slots and high-limit table games, the entrance is just a small doorway adorned with traditional Indian statues and artwork. More importantly, there is barely ever a wait, especially if you are a poker player, as the staff is super-accommodating to those who may have a limited time in which to eat.

Last night we started out with a rather large Taj Mahal, an Indian craft-brewed lager (highly suggested), an order of the Vegetable Samosas and Sindhi Aloo Tikki (potato mint cakes) before moving onto a selection of curries including Chana and Vegetable Masala, the ever-present Chicken Tikka Masala and some naan bread and raita sauce on the side. Then we passed out in a food coma right after snapping the above picture.

Needless to say, we highly recommend the grub and the experience. We like to consider ourselves self-styled Indian food connoisseurs and this is the second-best Indian place we have EVER been to. A ringing endorsement if we do say so .

Stay tuned for more mouth-watering updates live from the 2008 WSOP. Man, we may have to head back over there tonight. Is there such thing as curry-poisoning?