One thing I learned on coming home from India with regional cookbooks and investing in esoteric spices and a kadai was that this is a cuisine best experienced in restaurants. It’s not about a main and a side and/or a salad. It’s an experience. The one home meal we ate on our three-week trip in 2004 was courtesy of my former consort’s fixer in Kerala on his National Geographic shoot. And she had a full-time staffer to get the right array of dishes and bread on the table. 

So Rudraks opening four blocks from our kitchen has been the best thing since warm naan. The lunch special in particular is Indian to the max: papadam with three relishes, main, dal of the day, rice (with peas), a basket of bread and a tiny dessert. We’ve only ever had the vegetarian option, and it is a whole lot o’ food for $15. The mains are a bit on the dainty side, but they’re always packed with flavor, especially the okra and any with paneer. Dals are always sensational, well-spiced and ghee-tempered. 

We’ve only been once for dinner, but I will say it was nice to have good wine with the tandoori salmon and bhel poori in a lovely room. The servers are very sweet and remembered us from the first visit on. WIGB? We have at least five times.