Spice Indian Thai Bistro

There are lively appetizers like the unusual "tangi eggplant," crispy round chips of eggplant drizzled with sweet and sour tamarind chutney. The papdi chat was one of the best renditions I've had of the Indian street snack, a riot of textures (snappy spinach crackers, soft potato cubes, firm chickpeas and crispy papri wafers) dressed in a colorful flow of chutneys, herby green mint, dark tamarind, and tart white yogurt dusted with powdered chile and cilantro. Even that familiar dumpling, the samosa, was done with notable finesse, the house-made dough delicate and crispy, the potato stuffing nicely chunky, not leaden, and infused with a spice box of aromatics.

Vegetarians have plenty to savor here, including an almost meaty pudina paneer tikka appetizer that stacks firm cubes of dense homemade cheese around a stuffing of raisins, mint and fennel, then roasts them in the tandoor. The paneer makhani serves that same cheese, which has the texture of an extra-firm tofu, in a richly creamed tomato gravy scented with fenugreek that recalls the sauce from a butter chicken. A brothy sambar stew is like a south Indian minestrone, its yellow lentil broth tinged with tomatoes, coconut, red chiles and cumin, and filled with a hearty medley of vegetables. Among my favorite south Indian dishes, though, were Kumar's flavored rices, especially the tart yellow lemon rice that popped with mustard seeds and crispy fried lentils.

I agreed with my Indian-born dinner guest that some of Spice's northern specialties, especially the over-creamed makhanis and mashed eggplant baingan bartha, were not quite as complex as those at his other favorite suburban Indian haunt, the modest Shere-E-Punjab in Media.

But despite these few mild complaints, Spice is clearly one of the suburbs' best all-around Indian kitchens, from its pliant tandoor-baked breads glistening with buttery ghee to the irresistibly decadent and refreshing glasses of creamy mango lassi. The menu also delivers some superb takes on bellwether meat dishes, including one of the moistest chicken tikka kebabs I've tasted, a boneless-breast version of the whole tandoori bird that was memorably tender from a night-long marinade in gingery yogurt.

The most interesting flavors worth seeking at Spice, however, remain the southern dishes. Among the best was the soulful lamb chettinad stew, which had a plume of sweet spice - cinnamon, clove, cardamom and star anise – threaded deep into its gravy. It lands on the palate and unfolds a fan of exotic layers, the richly steeped gaminess of the meat giving way to coconut-milk richness, earthy roasted lentils, a swirl of aromatics, and finally, a swelling tingle of chile warmth that lingers long after the meal is done. No matter what that big thermometer reads outside, you'll know you've just been on a flavorful trip to the Hot Zone.