The original location of Angeethi in Herndon is lavishly decorated with hand-carved doors and gilded goddesses. By contrast, the new Bethesda outpost of this small local Indian chain is as spare as the original is over the top. The menu, too, has been stripped down.

Fortunately, the kitchen doesn’t appear to have undergone the same treatment. As at the original Angeethi, curries are a strength—lush and creamy. Dhaniawala korma, chicken in a rich cilantro-and-yogurt stew, has a gravy so delicious you might forget about the meat. The chicken dish murg tikka masala, spicier than most renditions, is another winner. Tender lamb crusted with coconut and a stew of baby eggplants both bear unexpected touches of heat, too.

The restaurant is better with the fryer than with the tandoor oven. The eggplant fritters called sabzi pakora leave the barest trace of oil on the fingertips, and potato-stuffed samosas, often soggy elsewhere, are nice and crisp. Papadi chaat, a cool potato-and-chickpea salad smothered in mint chutney, yogurt, and—inexplicably—chopped tomato is more soggy than crunchy. And although hunks of dark-meat chicken and a skewer of prawns stay moist in the clay oven, salmon, chicken breast, and minced lamb—all cooked over charcoal—emerge dry. The juiciest meat on the menu is the minced chicken kebab made zesty with chopped ginger, garlic, and cilantro.

The newest Angeethi needs time to settle in and get things right, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. After all, it’s got an ace older sibling to learn from.

This review appears in the August, 2009 issue of The Washingtonian.