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With its softly lit, muted interior—and equally muted curries, tweaked for the American palate—the petite Spice Cove is something of a departure from the rest of 6th Street’s curry corner. No year-round Christmas lights, Bollywood tunes, or smarmy barkers here. Rather, miniature tinkling brass bells signal your entrance into what feels like a dark little cove. Burnt-orange walls meet low, black-painted ceilings appliquéd with white rocks; burgundy velvet curtains muffle the outside world; and sparkly scarves are draped about, harem-style. Though the servers call it nouveau Indian, the menu’s by-the-book, if a bit bland. Among the starters is the savory Goan jhinga, juicy shrimp tossed in chili masala. For a fried fix, sink your teeth into a crisp, triangular samosa, fat with peas and potatoes. Spice-hounds may roll their eyes at the tame curries, but the hunks of lamb and chicken are sizeable and succulent. The naan, though hand-stretched, is disconcertingly doughy and faintly sweet. Spice Cove’s draw, though, isn’t the food—it’s because it’s the coziest spot on the block to canoodle with a date, and a cheap one at that, with a prix-fix feast for under ten bucks. — AnneLise Sorensen

Jhinga bhaji, $5.95; vegetable samosa, $3.75; lamb curry, $9.50