Indian Restaurants in my vicinity.

Indian food is one of my favorites, and we are really blessed by all the excellent restaurants in the area. If anything could make me vegetarian, it would be Indian Cuisine. All dishes are from the lunch menu unless otherwise noted.

Did I miss anyone that has a lunch menu? There are fewer and fewer around.

Egg Curry (15) from the Treasury Kitchen in Burlington. This might look like your generic curry, but it was excellent. How good was it? This is now my favorite curry, superseding the Vindaloo. The eggs were cooked extraordinarily well, with the yolk just setting. The curry itself was redolent with spices and thick and creamy. As usual, the rice was cooked perfectly. How do they do that? Masala Fries, because they are soo good. 9/10

Treasury Kitchen in Burlington. Chicken Kolhapuri (15). "shallow-fried chicken cooked with fiery red sauce made with a blend of 30+ ingredients". It was a fiery red sauce, alright. It was all dark meat, perfectly cooked. I really enjoyed this, and of course, the Masala Fries were, as usual, outstandingly good. 9/10, even without the fresh flowers.
I included two dishes to show their variety of dishes. This is not your run-of-the-mill Indian restaurant.

Masala in Tele Square in Somerville. Their buffet ($14.95) was back. Indian dishes and Momo's on the left, Nepali dishes, condiments, and fruit on the right (a couple of Mandarins for me). Highlights are Momo's, Shrimp curry with BIG shrimps, Marinated Chicken Malai Kabab that was super tasty and could be cut with a fork, and Dal Makhani, which was thick and creamy. There are a couple loading zones outside, but they kick in at 1:00 PM. I noticed when I actually read the sign. 9.5/10

Rang Indian Bistro in Stoneham. CHICKEN SAAG (10.99). "Chicken cooked with fresh spinach". This is probably my favorite Indian dish. I ordered it medium-plus, and it came out perfectly spicy for me. You also get half a flawlessly cooked Naan. Your condiments arrive with a couple of papads. The onion chutney is piquant but not overly so. I forgot to take a picture until I had loaded up my plate. It's a generous lunch serving. I'm not happy about their curries. Tasty but needed to cook down more. 9.0/10

Royal India Bistro in Lexington. Fish Curry ($9.95). This is an excellent dish where the fish is always perfectly cooked. The curry is phenomenal and well seasoned; if ordering it medium, you get what I would call spicy. This is half of what you get, and they are not stingy on the rice, either. Super nice staff. There is free parking up the street. 9/10

Little India Express in Lexington Takeout only. Tandoori Buffalo Momos ($11). These are excellent and of a generous size, loaded with meat. Their other offerings are also excellent. 9/10

Passage to India in Cambridge. I checked the website, and it was still in business, so off I went. To my surprise, the restaurant is now called Jo's Indian Kitchen! The interior is the same, just not so dark. I went for Chicken Saag ($11.95 at lunch), a favorite. It was tasty and had a bit of heat (medium). The rice was cooked perfectly but lacked seasoning, even if I found a cardamom pod in it. I'll be back in the spring to try their Vindaloo, which actually has vinegar in it. Why spring? It was freezing inside. 8.5/10

Raagini Indian Bistro in Andover. I have only been here when they served a lunch buffet that was just so-so. I was handed a dinner menu, and when I asked for the lunch menu, I had to scan for the online lunch menu. This is a dishonest business practice. I ordered the Goa Shrimp Curry ($11.95). The smallish shrimp was overcooked, and the rice was mushy. The curry that is supposed to be loaded with coconut barely had any. I ordered it medium and got what I would call borderline hot. It was freezing inside. 5/10

Al Maidah Cuisine in Burlington Lunch Buffet $15 weekdays. It was a very small buffet for $15. The Tandoori chicken was delicious, but it was cold, as were the apps. The fish pakora was cooked nicely but cold. The Chicken Chettinad (be aware of bone splinters) and the Chana Masala (chickpeas) were warm and well-seasoned. The chana had a bit of heat. 3 customers during lunch. Overall a letdown. 5/10

Virsa de Punjab Lunch combo Takeout only. Pass

Makalu Nepali & Indian Cuisine in Arlington. No lunch menu. Pass
Indian Style Billerica 880 Boston Road Closed Mondays. Only vegetarian. Pass until the buffet returns.

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