Chennai Masala

There are only two restaurants in this guide that offer an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. (Enat is the other.) Weirder yet, a row of steaming chafing dishes is the ideal way to experience the metro area's undisputed best Indian. Show up on weekends, when this plaza-bound eatery is overrun with families from the subcontinent and the spices are dialed up to their tastes.

Photo: Emily Joan Greene Photo: Emily Joan Greene

You'll be hard-pressed to find a dud among the offerings, but you may discover that mushroom vindaloo is maybe the best vindaloo and that carrot uthtappam is maybe the best of dosas.

Everything on offer is tasty, up to and including the tandoori chicken with slightly blackened edges, which give a hint of smoke to the tangy red yogurt sauce. You'll want more, and you are welcome to it.

Photo: Emily Joan Greene Photo: Emily Joan Greene

Pro tip: Don't bother asking about the specific spices in any dish—they're not telling.

GO: 2088 NW Stucki Ave., Hillsboro, 531-9500, chennaimasala.net. 11:30 am-2 pm and 5:30-9:30 pm Tuesday-Sunday. $.

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