Madras Chettinaad

Chicken tikka masala (left) and saag (spinach) paneer.

After hearing about Madras Chettinaad for years from my former yoga instructor in Atlanta, two of us from the office went with Elizabeth, our fabulous yogini, for dinner just before I moved to Charlotte. After the hour plus drive I was ravenous and luckily, Madras Chettinaad came through in a big way. We started with samosas, which I always love - but here they were truly outstanding, flaky, not at all greasy and filled with spiced potato goodness. I adore the tamarind and mint sauces served on the side - so delicious!

For the main course we shared a special dosa, chicken tikka masala and saag paneer along with an order of garlic naan. I really like how Madras Chettinaad serves great veggie and meat dishes. Their focus is on Chettinaad cuisine, which originates from a region of the Tamil Nadu state in India. This means there are tons of great vegetarian curries and dosas as well as meat dishes, all perfectly spiced. Everything we tried was fantastic, with good flavor, but not so spicy that the taste was overpowered. The chicken tikka masala was a particularly tasty rendition. I'm told that the weekend buffet here is something to behold. Although I'm not likely to be in Alpharetta again anytime soon since our move to NC, it is definitely worth an extra special trek to try this place. Thank you Elizabeth for introducing me to this great Indian restaurant!

Samosas - perfectly fried with very little grease.

Special Dosa with chutneys and dipping sauce.

Garlic Naan. Buttery, garlicky and delicious!

Panahar Bangladeshi Cuisine

Panahar is one of my favorite spots in Atlanta. In addition to a fabulous dinner menu and an owner who loves to educate customers about this tasty cuisine, the restaurant has a very delicious, diverse and affordable lunch buffet including meat and vegetarian options as well as fresh naan (bread cooked in Tandoori oven) and dessert. Many of the dishes are similar to Indian cuisine. Most recently my dining companion and I feasted on the below dishes and even had leftovers for lunch the next day!

Mango Lassi

Vegetable Pakoras with Tamarind Sauce and Mint Chutney

Top Left: Bhoona Maang-sho with Shrimp; Bottom Left: Teek-ka Moshol-la with Lamb; Center: Naan stuffed with chopped onion and cilantro; Right: Basmati Rice (bet you knew that one!)

Panahar Bangladeshi Cuisine (Northeast Plaza)
3375 Buford Highway, Suite 1060
Atlanta, Georgia 30329
404-633-6655
panahar@aol.com
Website