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On its corner near the south border of Curry Hill, the Curry Leaf's glass windows are partially obscured by a row of reviews, notices, and articles covering the pan-Indian food that's prepared inside its doors. The interior, roomier than other nearby restaurants, is fairly standard issue Manhattan Indian, with a few strings of Christmas lights and some restful harbor scenes on the wall. Named for the herb used to lend flavor to many Indian dishes, Curry Leaf isn't the best Indian in town, but it is a friendly place, where you'll find good versions of standard dishes from all over India—from vindaloos, which originated in Goa, to chicken korma, a Kashmiri dish. Many of the standouts here are vegetarian: They include the aloo chole chat, with chickpeas and potato; and the aloo gobi, a tangy mix of well-cooked tomatoes, cauliflower, and potatoes, heavily flavored with cumin and colored bright yellow from turmeric. If you like your food spicy, tell them to kick it up a notch—the heat level here tends toward the middle of the road. There are also tasty tandoori meats cooked in a clay oven; chicken can be dry, but the tandoori lamb and fish are deliciously tangy and succulent. — John D. Rambow

Curry Leaf shares owners with Kalustyan's, the beloved international and specialty food store one block north at 123 Lexington Ave.

Aloo chole chat, $4.95; rogan josh, $14.95; aloo gobi, $10.95