It's far from the bustle of Devon Avenue, but sampling the lunch buffet, or even a few of the dishes from the menu at Indian Garden in Streeterville, is a good introduction for beginners to the cuisine of Northern India.

"That's more tandoori, and the curries and medium spicy food and basically the dal is the major part of the dinner or lunch," said Joseph Kolencherry, of Indian Garden.

Dal is cooked lentils. In this case, they're tiny black ones, simmered with heavy cream and finished off with fresh ginger and cilantro. Aside from the stovetop curries, the tandoor is used frequently. It's a vertical, clay oven, used to roast juicy pieces of yogurt-and-spice marinated chicken or shrimp on giant skewers.

It also bakes bread: in this case, naan that emerges puffy and blistered, or parathas and rotis, some embedded with fresh garlic and cilantro. Good starters include pyramid-shaped samosas: in essence, flaky pastry dough stuffed with mashed potatoes, peas and spices; a good lead-off for vegetarians. Another veggie-friendly starter is the bhel puri - considered a snack in India, the plate is mounded with puffed rice, tomatoes and onions, plus potatoes and crunchy chickpea snacks. You add as much sweet tamarind or mint chutney as you like, then mix and enjoy. Saag paneer is just cooked spinach and homemade cottage cheese, simmered with heavy cream, it's one of several fortified Northern dishes.

<< Page 2 of 4 >>