Restaurant Review: The Saffron House

Each time I dine at this intimate restaurant in Addison, I experience genuine hospitality from servers who take pride in their jobs. On my last visit, I was surprised when a waiter tried to talk me out of ordering a lamb biryani and “trying” chicken tikka masala. I told him I’d had my share of the popular dish and preferred the layers of spices (cardamom, garlic, saffron, chile powder, mint) cooked into the rice and mutton dish. He said I would be happier with the chicken. I was about to ask why he was steering me away from more adventurous Indo-Chinese and Mughlai dishes, when my friend interrupted and ordered commonplace vegetable samosas and an onion and mirchi (chile pepper) pakora. He approved of her choice and brought both appetizers. The pastry that encased the potatoes and peas was flaky and held its shape. The onions and peppers were rolled in a light chickpea flour batter and fried to a crispy brown. But both the garlic naan and roti were dry, hard, and inedible. We picked up spoons and ate the baked eggplant with garlic directly from the copper serving pan; I took an extra order home to keep in my freezer. We turned to listen to the couple next to us swoon over a plate of chicken tikka masala, while I devoured a delightful bowl of tender cubes of lamb mixed with saffron-scented rice.