The Spice Room - Indian on Armitage in Logan Square

I know this place has received a few mentions on other threads but it appears there's no dedicated thread for it, so here goes . . .

Over about the past year and half, this has become my go-to spot for Indian. I love the bold flavors, the obvious freshness of their spices (and the way they're used), and the heat in the applicable dishes. So often I'll have a dish here that I've had dozens of times elsewhere and it tastes like I'm having it for the very first time. And I mean that in the best possible way. It's not like they taste entirely different than they usually do. It's more like they taste amplified and unfiltered, like someone removed the restrictor plate. So maybe what I really mean is that I feel like I'm having them the way they're actually supposed to taste.

Some dishes that clearly illustrate this point are their complex biryanis, their bar-setting saag paneer and their intense chana masala. But there's so much more on their relatively large menu that delivers the same feeling as these distinctive dishes do. Their expertly executed takes just feel a cut above their ubiquitously-served counterparts.

I stopped by this week for a quick afternoon snack . . .


Chana Masala, spicy

This was as satisfying as ever. Aromatic and intensely flavorful. Spicy but not ridiculously so. Tender chick peas but not at all mushy. Pure enjoyment, and one of the best takes I can remember ever having.

As of now (from what I remember and what google says), I believe lunch is only available on Saturdays and Sundays, when they open at noon. They're closed on Tuesdays. All the other days, they open at 4.

=R=

The Spice Room
2906 W Armitage
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 360-8689
http://thespiceroomchicago.com/

Ronnie, thanks for starting their own well deserved thread.

We have been going since they opened and it is our Indian 1b to our 1a, Rangoli. Very fortunate to live so close to two of our favorite Indian restaurants. The only time we need to stray from one of these two is if we are going to be in another neighborhood, or if we have a craving for dosas.

Ronnie articulated it more clearly, but we also agree that dishes are just better executed than most other restaurants, bolder and more care in the preparation.

Our only concern is what level of heat a dish comes out of the kitchen with. Our first meal there (maybe close to two years ago?) put us on alert, three of the four dishes were incendiary, and we can handle good levels of heat. We usually avoid coming here if anyone in the group is pepper-challenged.

We also appreciate the friendly servers, nice interior and wall of glass that opens to the sidewalk in nice weather. AND very important to me, it's BYOB.

Intense, fiery, spicy meal at Spice Room last night. We arrived at 9:45, about 15 minutes before their posted closing time and were initially told that we were too late. But we politely whined about it not being 10 yet and promised to order immediately, after which we were seated. The food was, even relative to previous visits, vibrant, alive and downright electric.

It couldn't have been more than 2 minutes between when we were seated and when our server came over to get our order. I admit that I was caught off-guard. But we'd promised to be quick and they had accommodated us so, through the faint haze of pregame libations, menu muscle memory took over. It turned out way better than fine . . .


Pakora, Gobi Manchurian (top to bottom)


Chicken 65


Lamb Vindaloo, Chana Masala, Dal Makhani, Dal Palak (clockwise from top left)


Aloo Paratha


Naan


Chicken Biryani

As our meal progressed, the dining room emptied out, more and more lights came on, chairs were flipped onto tabletops, and the vacuum whirred away at our feet. But it was all fine. We had no Plan B and we were happy that they'd agreed to seat us at all. It was a fantastic meal but next time, best to get there by no later than 9:30, methinks.

=R=