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Indigo

This is one of those places where you take that first bite and you are transported.  It's like, "bite" then "ooohhh" and "aahhh".  This counter-top, quirky location has lines out the door whenever it is open.  The menu varies and is placed on a chalkboard each day with a clear delineation for carnivores, vegetarians and vegans.  The decor is eclectic.  The inside section seats maybe a dozen and has walls covered in random signs and grafitti which covers the amusing to the artistic.  The outside seating looks like the tables and tents that your family puts up for a neighborhood barbeque.  The whole thing has an off-beat funky feel more likely at a private home than a restaurant.  But let's get to the food.

The samosa filling is light and airy.  And yes, there is dipping sauce!  Fruity, tangy, acidic and slightly spicy, it makes a perfect accompaniment for the mild samosas.  I also got the fried spinach cheese rolls.  Not my thing but a great "something different".  For the meal I got the vegetarian platter -- rice (redolent with saffron or something saffron-like), greens, chickpeas (mildly spicy and very yummy), baingan bharta (advertised as smoky, it was a bit too smoky for my taste but exactly as promised), and makhani paneer (a rich, sweet dish of cubed cheese in a sweet creamy tomato sauce).  It was enough for three meals.  Given that it was a hot day, I bought and downed a mango lassi while waiting for the meal.  It was a perfect balance -- not too sweet or tart.

Bottom line:  I will absolutely, positively be back -- with friends and family.  If for nothing else I forgot to order bread and one must always sample the bread at an Indian restaurant.  Also for the experience.  The H Street corridor has been reborn and this place is a symbol of how the neighborhood can honor the past and celebrate the future.

Counter-service Indian restaurant.  There will likely be a line.
243 K St., NE
http://www.indigowdc.com/#intro

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