If you're smart, or do what jerks in free weeklies suggest, you'll go ahead and spring for a mango lassi next time you do the Indian food thing, because the Palace's lassis are especially rich with ripe mango, yogurt and a touch of sugar. Theirs, and all other versions, depend most urgently on the freshness and ripeness of the mango, of course. You can't make a good lassi with a bad mango, but that's of no concern here, because this mango is exquisite. Admittedly, a mango lassi in Americaspeak sounds much less sophisticated: A lassi is basically a smoothie. So you can make this orange gem at home, but that would remove the fun of requesting one from the legion of stealth Indian servers who glide through the dining room honoring requests such as yours.
If you're new to St. Louis or Indian food, make a beeline. India Palace overlooks the airport, and from its top-floor perch, you can watch planes land and hopefully not crash, though if you're a Bridgeton resident, you may want to stay away, because every glance out the window is a reminder that, even though Lambert is deadsville, they're still continuing with the runway expansion that took your home away from you. They're still spending 1.3 kajillion dollars on unnecessary runways when not three miles away people are cold and hungry in Pine Lawn. So be forewarned, Bridgetonians.
The one danger in the buffet-and-lassi combo, however, is the sheer volume of food and pleasure available for your consumption. Keep sucking on the lassi, which is rich and thick, and it will consume space you may have been saving for those exquisite honeyballs the Palace serves. But if you consider the pleasure of a mango lassi to be equal to that received via the savory buffet offerings, you'll make room, and a touch of overbloated expansion will give way to the sweet, sweet aftertaste of a Sunday afternoon well spent.
