That Tanzore was awarded the 2007 Best Restaurant Design by the American Institute of Architects is no surprise. Still visually
impenetrable on the outside from its 'Gaylord' days, the swank contemporary Indian cuisine restaurant on La Cienega's famed Restaurant Row is unrecognizable on the inside. Owners Sudesh and Nikki Sood and Santa Monica-based designer Sat Garg of Akar Studios have truncated the space while letting it unfurl its expression masterfully in colors of saffron, vermilion and clove. The Indian artifacts are minimized while wood, stone and glass serve as a metaphor for the evolution of the cuisine itself, tempered but without compromising its complex flavors.

After battling the valet (a good sign of the space's "it" factor), you walk into a spacious, sensually lit, turquoise lounge at the right with a polished white stone bar and sprawling projections of Bollywood and Indian fashion shows on the wall. To your left, past a glass tower housing an impressive selection of wines is the main dinning room seating up to eighty guests. High back, dark chocolate leather booths line walls tastefully adorned with graphic murals of paisleys and lush tropical blooms and contrasting with dark wood walls. For those seeking a more intimate ambiance, a separate seating area on the other side of a bubbling stream of water provides white marble table tops, silk pillows, candlelight and some privacy.

Contrary to traditional Indian restaurants, the plates here are not family-style but ordering several of them will allow a good sampling of the tasty cuisine that uses fresh, local ingredients - organic when available. Start off with the Shakalaka martini and don't be intimated by the muddled cloves in an amber elixir of vanilla simple syrup and vodka. The concoction is hands down one of the best martinis you'll ever taste and sure to keep you wanting more. Order the trio of chutneys and bread basket right off the back. A little nibble of the pickled vegetables and a spontaneous drizzle of the tamarind chutney not only kicks the cuisine up a notch and delivers some fire-power but is essential to the ritual of an Indian meal. The breads, nicely blistered and topped with butter, garlic or spicy seeds called ajwaini (a common digestive for Indians) is pure heaven and good enough to eat on its own.

Goan crab 'tikki' are meaty patties, perfectly crunchy on the outside and succulent inside, and served with a trio of their own chutneys of which the spicy tomato is the best. Velvet lamb kebabs infused with paprika and cumin spice mix are strong on ginger accents and come on a bed of mashed potatoes, a curious choice but one that works in terms of contrast with texture and flavors. When ordering the Prawn Pulao, a serving of basmati rice with fennel seeds, red onions, red peppers and cooked in yoghurt, opt for just tandoori-style prawns and skip the tempura which cannot live up to the counterpart. Tender tandoori lamb chops, cooked medium and served with sautéed baby turnips and a drizzle of saffron oil, are a highlight of the menu. And under no circumstances pass on the Kashmiri lamb curry, tender chunks of meat spiced with ginger, cardamom and fennel seeds cooked in a thick, aromatic onion sauce and served with basmati rice. End with the trio of traditional Indian sweets including a kulfi ice cream, gulab jamun (similar to a fried donut in rose syrup) and ras-malai (like a patty of sweet cottage cheese in cardamom and rose infused cream).

Chef Chaudhry, who has worked with the Oberoi Hotel Group, Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Geneva and the Hotel Principe de Savoi in Italy, is in fine form at Tanzore. In recent years contemporary Indian cuisine restaurants have mushroomed in the city, many losing their uniqueness as they stop trying to experiment and try placating the less daring. We hope that the evolution continues at Tanzore and that diners are given an opportunity to be more adventurous right along with it. Remember, if we want traditional Indian restaurants, there are plenty around. So skip the tempura and mash, and don't hesitate to muddle another clove in that martini.

Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla