Tandoori Affaire

The garlic naan arrived still puffed from the clay oven, its surface blistered and fragrant with roasted garlic that had caramelized into the dough. We tore off pieces and dragged them through a lamb rogan josh that had been simmered to the point where the meat fell apart at the touch of a spoon, the sauce a deep rust-red slick of tomato, yogurt, and Kashmiri chili. Tandoori Affaire is a small, unassuming spot on Ogden Avenue that punches well above its weight class. The tandoori chicken, marinated overnight and charred in a proper tandoor, arrived with that distinctive smoky crust that separates real clay-oven cooking from oven-baked approximations. The lunch buffet, if you catch it on the right day, is one of the best-value Indian meals in the western suburbs. Service is warm and unhurried, the kind of place where the owner asks how you liked the food and genuinely wants to know.