Critics’ choice: Twists on Indian, both old and new

Tashan Philadelphia

Since the middle of the last decade, Munish Narula’s Tiffin restaurants have set the standard in our city for “traditional Indian fare done right,” said Craig LaBan in The Philadelphia Inquirer. But the entrepreneur’s newest project has “the potential to be a game-changer.” “Tashan” is Hindi for “style, swagger, or attitude,” and in the restaurant’s sleek showpiece of a dining room, patrons are discovering “how exciting the Indian sensibility can be” when a pair of sophisticated chefs call the shots. The menu boasts “one of the finest quails I’ve ever tasted”—a dish of Rajasthan kings in which the fowl is marinated in a gingery garlic paste and finished with a caramelized-onion chutney. Paprika-blushed lamb chops are tenderized by a papaya marinade and a touch of pure mustard oil. For dessert, even the molten chocolate cake is a revelation. Paired with chai kulfi and a tart-sweet shot of white-chocolate yogurt lassi, it proves that a subtle touch can work true magic. 777 S. Broad St., (267) 687-2170

Bombay Chopsticks Hoffman Estates, Ill.

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Purists often blame America for the “bastardization of regional Chinese food,” said Michael Nagrant in the Chicago Sun-Times. But well before there was General Tso’s chicken—a dish created in 1970s New York City—there was Indian-Chinese food in West Bengal. Late-18th-century Han Chinese immigrants to the port of Calcutta assimilated into their cooking such typical Indian flavorings as chili, garlic, and ginger, creating such hybrid dishes as chili paneer and sweet-and-sour chicken. So while “Bombay Chopsticks” sounds “like a Disney World samosa and egg roll concession,” the name, fortunately, is “where the cheese ends” at this cross-cultural venture. The room is bachelor-pad modern, and chef CS Rawat’s compelling menu, though “biblically long,” yields far more hits than near misses. The clay pot lamb is a thick, rich stew brightened by ginger and scallion. Even better is the deep-fried sliced eggplant stuffed with mashed potatoes, garlic, and green chili: It tastes as if “a crab rangoon had made sweet love to an Indian-spiced ratatouille.” 721 W. Golf Rd., (847) 380-5775

Jewel of India Silver Spring, Md.

Discovering the Jewel of India is “like finding a wad of bills in an old pair of pants,” said Tim Carman in The Washington Post. The strip-mall location isn’t promising, but the enterprise’s Nepali-born chef has a real flair for interpreting classic Indian and Indo-Chinese fare. My first bite of the house-pressed cheese in his chili paneer was “a visceral, watershed moment, as two distinct culinary spheres intersected in perfect harmony.” Many of his traditional Indian dishes, including a “wickedly complex” chicken vindaloo, are more wonderful still. Sure, there will be “strands of costume jewelry” hanging near your banquette, but the owners’ “budget-minded” approach to creating a semi-exotic setting is one more reason that some diners will be thrilled to be wise to this “hidden jewel.” 10151 New Hampshire Ave., (301) 408-2200