Masala Art, web site, 4441 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC, just south of the Whole Foods, 202-362-4441 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Washingtonian| WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | Yelp]
Right now we are down to this and Angeethi as our two excellent Indian restaurants. This is from the people who brought you Heritage India, except it’s even better than that. They have some obscure regional dishes but most of all they deliver on the standards as well. Everything tastes fresh and vivid, in the direction of how things would be in India itself.
Consistency is high, the lassis aren’t too sweet, and the Indian desserts are even good, which is hardly ever the case in U.S. Indian restaurants. There is no reason not to go here as often as you can. This is one of those restaurants where you can order just about everything and it will deliver.
I completely agree about the food at Masala Art–excellent! But be aware that it is small and VERY busy, especially on weekend nights, and I find the noise level extremely high. Not a good place for a pleasant conversation when its busy.