Profile

Baluchi's is edible evidence of culinary globalization, an ever-growing restaurant chain in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, offering familiar North Indian fare in largely comfortable, well-upholstered settings. The kitchen tempers the cuisine's typical fire and spice, preparing mild renditions of chicken tikka masala, shrimp curry and lamb biryani, which come to the table in handsome hammered-brass and copper dishes. Vegetarians have a wide choice of appetizers and entrées—including pakoras, veggie kebabs, ka-chori dumplings, saag panir, and creamy navrattan curry—though spice-seeking carnivores are primarily limited to lamb and chicken vindaloo. In addition to in-house dining, the chain does a brisk delivery business, which it facilitates by allowing customers to order online. — Helen Zelon

Half-price meals for in-restaurant diners everyday from noon to 3 p.m., and students with valid ID get 20 percent off their bill.