Palak chaat, the dish made Peloton-popular by chef Vikram Sunderam at the esteemed Rasika in Washington, is a must at Indian restaurants with aspirations. Durairaj makes a respectable version of the fried spinach appetizer, which he personalizes with juicy pineapple. Tom Sietsema's 8 favorite places to eat right now Spice Kraft is a welcome compromise for bubble mates with different views on meat, which is to say, vegetarians and carnivores can go their own ways on the list and both have fun. The bistro serves one of the biggest, and best, samosas around, their mashed potato centers green and herbal with a mint and cilantro paste. Eating a whole, thick-skinned samosa feels like dinner. Lentil soup is a lighter, but no less luscious, launch. Yellow lentils emphasize the sunny warmth of the dish, which relies on coconut milk as its base and turmeric for shade. (If you forgo the soup, be sure to include a side of yellow lentils, sharpened with fresh ginger and garlic, in your order.) I've made meals of just the smoky mashed eggplant, onion and tomato shot through with green chile and coriander, among other enhancers. The grandest meat, on the other hand, is braised lamb shank. Marinated in garam masala and finished with a brown onion gravy, it's a high-rise of soft red meat paired with mashed potatoes made great and gold with turmeric and mustard seed. Even when served in a carton, the entree looks impressive and tastes ambitious. The restaurant allows customers to mix and match, making it especially attractive to customization-seeking millennials. A roster of "proteins" — paneer, chicken, salmon, lamb, etc. — is followed by sauce options ranging from korma (onion, nut pastes, turmeric) and chettinad (black pepper and curry leaf) to saag (green with spinach) and vindaloo (warm with chiles). The one thing the meals share is basmati rice. The new dining reality: Shorter menus, quicker meals — and ugly-delicious dishes Spice Kraft's lunch bowls are apt to sustain you through the dinner hour. Look at what amounts to a buffet in one day's platter-size bowl: chunks of salmon in a sunset-colored "homestyle" coconut milk sauce shored up with sunny yellow rice and a scoop of curried chickpeas and other vegetables. A sail of crisp papadum adds to the largesse. The Indian wraps suggest burritos; curried lamb, slightly sour Amul cheese and diced vegetables pack the inside of my choice bundle, wrapped in (fusion alert!) tortillas.