Masala Art

It seems I was observing radio silence the first time we went to Masala Art a couple of months ago, so let me rectify that after our return trip this week. Both times our reaction was the same: I love this place!

The name of the restaurant comes from its mastery of spice blends. As the Web site says: "Spice blends are called masalas. Indian cooks have mastered the timed roast of spices, releasing various flavors from the same spice based on its length of roasting. A spice is also manipulated by the way it is prepared. Each of the many spices has its own unique function: some spices tenderize, some intensify heat while others cool, some augment color, some thicken and others bring necessary tartness."

That must account for the remarkable freshness and novelty of the dishes we've tried. I can't remember the ones we had the first trip, but on this latest visit we split an appetizer, Aloo aur Pyaz ki Bhaji, which is juliennes of potatoes and onions in chickpea batter. This came out fresh and hot from deep frying with two very nice little sauces and was delicious. For main courses, we ordered a tawa -- cooked on a griddle like skillet -- and a tandoori. The Tawa Murgh Khatta Pyaaz was marinated chicken cubes with masala gravy, royal cumin and pickled onion. It had a rich tomato-ey flavor and a quiet, deep heat set off nicely by the pickled onion. The Bhuna Gosht was stir-fried lamb curry with spices. Somewhat less original but the lamb was very tender with a nice mature (muttony, the way I like!) taste. We got a rock salt and garlic nan (the one small criticism of the restaurant is that the nan portions are relatively small).

Prices are great: appetizers run about $5 and entrees $10 to $15. We split an appetizer and got two entrees. Next time we may get two appetizers and split an entree, with perhaps an additional half-order of a vegetable entree. All in all a great find, and close enough in Tenleytown to be considered a neighborhood restaurant.