Last night my friends and I had dinner at Capitol Hill Tandoor & Grill, a restaurant in DC’s Eastern Market neighborhood.
The venue’s website offered “the exotic tastes of India,” a promise that I approached with a cautiously arched eyebrow because my bland taste buds usually mean that spicy Indian food brings tears to my eyes. The only other thing that can achieve that reaction is a death scene in a Disney movie. Ahem.
Although the service was on the slower side (forgivable as we had a table of nine), the food arrived freshly made and piping hot.
The warmth of the food didn’t finish after it was placed down in front of me, as just a few bites was all it took to make my sinuses clear faster than a Californian can mock an East Coast earthquake (topical!) and my eyes water with more intensity than the outcome of a swift kick to the unmentionables.
I ate the chicken tikka makhni, a belly busting portion of boneless chicken pieces cooked in a tomato-based gravy and cream. Delicious, every bite of the tender chicken complimented by the slightly sweet gravy. I have no clue what spices they put in it, but there was a definite kick that led to me reaching for my glass of iced water with alarming regularity.
Super-spicy food might not be my thing (Creole’s about as punchy as I like my meals) but Capitol Hill Tandoor & Grill still won me over. The portions were huge, the price right, and the food flavorful. Five stars, or two thumbs up, or boffo! or whatever other measure of praise that comes to mind.