Emily H.
Yelp
Dakshin knows how to make great Indian food. That isn't in question.
The reason for the three stars has more to do with the physical restaurant than the food, but I'll get into that in a sec.
I went to Dakshin last week for a friend's birthday party.
The food, as always, was great. I particularly liked the samosas. These puffs of filled goodness were steaming, freshly made. And the pastry was slightly salty.
I also greatly enjoyed the chicken tikka masala.
I know -- I'm one of those people who always order chicken tikka masala at Indian restaurants.
I've tried other Indian dishes, and I know that chicken tikka masala is actually English, not Indian. But I like what I like. And I like this.
At Dakshin, the chicken tikka masala tastes a bit more herbed -- if that's the right word -- than at other restaurants. It almost had a bit of a cinnamon taste to it, which I liked. The chicken was also prime bits of white meat.
Want something a bit different? Perhaps for an appetizer? I recommend the sev batata purii, an Indian take on nachos.
Dakshin also has sections of the menu dedicated to Northern Indian, Southern Indian and Indo Chinese fare.
But the reason for the three stars?
It got so smoky in the restaurant that it became visibly hazy, and I needed to step out for fresh air after the smoke triggered a mild asthma attack.
Dakshin has a foyer area and then another door that leads to the restaurant. I wonder if it would be better to just open up the restaurant to the main, front doors.
Two times during our dinner the smoke took over the restaurant. And my friend said that it was like this the last time he was there as well.
Better ventilation needs to be installed if they are using a tandoori oven. It's hard to enjoy the food when you can't breathe.
And I understand that typically after eating at an Indian restaurant, you'll carry the smell of Indian food with you after you leave.
But my boyfriend and I smelled like Indian food afterward more than we ever had before. I imagine this was due to the smoke.
Even after taking a shower and dressing in clean clothes, I still carried the smell the next day.
Now normally I love the smell of Indian food -- just not with me when I'm driving around in my car with my boss the day afterward.
Dakshin has so many great things going for it. If it could just figure out the ventilation, it would make the experience so much more enjoyable.