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| - Is it tacky to leave two update reviews? I don't care.
I tend to be on the generous side when giving 5 stars. If everything is delicious and I have no real reservations about a place, I'm happy to give 5 stars. Tonight was on another level. It's only the second time in my life that I've experienced a meal that I can only describe as a religious experience.
I've had the tandoori chicken before as part of the buffet, and I thought it was surprisingly good. That's why I ordered it again tonight. I was told it would take awhile to prepare. I passed the time eating some naan and watching Krishnav, the owners' toddler, run around with a balloon.
Then the tandoori chicken came, steam rising in a plume above the pan, juices sizzling as the hostess set it down on my table saying, "Be careful. It's hot."
I took one drumstick onto my plate. Then, thinking that the dish was rather visually impressive, I put the drumstick back and snapped a picture.
At last, I gingerly took a bite. I was immediately struck by how good it tasted. And it was juicy, too--juicy and tender in that way that only piping hot fresh food can be. The edges were lightly charred, smoky and crunchy. The moisture still rising from the chicken carried its aroma richly through my mouth and nose. Each bite clarified to me that it was a perfect aroma, with spices balanced in perfect harmony, balanced so perfectly that it is difficult even now for me to isolate any individual ingredient or element of its flavor.
After I finished my five pieces of chicken, I sat there with a stupid open-mouthed smile, taking in the residual scent of the juices left among the vegetables on the plate. I felt completely and utterly happy. I was so happy to exist in this world at the same place and time as Haldi Masala.
I had dessert, because I needed to step down gently from that meal. The Rasmalai was pretty good. It was clean and light, food I'd be perfectly content giving 5 stars, like most of the menu here.
I drove home. Traffic was busy for 6 PM on Saturday. Bjork's break-up album, Vulnicura, was in my CD player. I hummed along to depressing lines like "You have nothing to give / Your heart is hollow / I'm drowned in sorrows / No hope in sight of ever recover / Eternal pain and horrors." I was smiling. And I was completely happy.
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