Saffron (5/5)

Let's just say that the executive chef at Saffron is an amazingly talented chef. He recently moved here from NYC where he worked at one of the top Indian restaurants in the country, Tamarind. I am elated that such talent has come to this area.

The restaurant is absolutely phenomenal. I have dined at many Indian restaurants in my day and moved to the Triangle from the bay area (CA) which boasts one of the largest Indian populations in the country. You can imagine that there were many great restaurants and I had my favorite. When I moved out here, I was so sad to have left that greatness behind. It wasn't until last week that I not only found a great Indian restaurant in Saffron, but the best and the freshest I have ever had. The ambiance is nice, definitely more modern and upscale than your typical Indian restaurant and they boast a wine list of 95 different wines.

http://www.saffronnc.com/home.html

We started with a few appetizers - the vegetable samosas and chicken kabobs. The samosas were great, not too greasy but still a ton of flavor. The chutneys that went along with them were so fresh and so flavorful. They really helped bring out all of the spices. The kabobs were unlike anyother I have tasted. The chicken was cooked to perfection and literally melted in my mouth. They were a huge hit at our table.

For my main dish, I decided on Saag Paneer. Absolutely the best paneer I have ever tasted. It was so flavorful and had the perfect consistency. I typically only use a little rice with my dishes so I don't dilute the flavor and spice, but this one had a lot of great flavor and went a long way. I ended up taking at least half of it home. By the way, I'm not much for leftovers, but it was still delicious the next day.

We ordered a few other things such as a side of mint naan, which was excellent. The mint was very subtle, but added a nice kick to the naan. For the baby, a nice chicken naan that wasn't spicy, but had great flavor. It was easy to break apart and was a good sized portion for a baby. The mango lassi was a huge hit with the baby, and myself as well. Very fresh.

Our son special ordered chicken makhani. This wasn't on their menu, but they had no problem accomodating. This was a wonderful dish as well and definitely earned his approval! This leads me to another point, they brought out two orders of the dish by mistake. We told them that we had only ordered one and they simply said, no problem - compliments of the chef.

All in all, this is a must try. It is certainly the best Indian food in the area and probably one of the best in the country.