Providence, RIIndian

Chaska is the upscale wing of the Dhar family's Rhode Island restaurant group, set in Cranston with an extensive list of starters and entrees that go beyond a standard Indian menu. Chili cauliflower and Punjabi samosa chaat sit alongside more familiar plates, drawing regulars who want something a little different from the usual curry house lineup.

India has held down its spot on Hope Street for years, drawing regulars back with recurring meal deals that keep the room full on weeknights. The chicken tikka masala is the house specialty, the dish most people order on their first visit and keep ordering after that.

Not Just Snacks turns out full Indian thali platters on Hope Street, in both meat and vegetarian versions, alongside the counter snacks its name promises. It is a casual, order-at-the-counter kind of place, built for a quick weeknight plate rather than a sit-down occasion, and it draws a steady crowd from the neighborhood.

Kabob and Curry is the original restaurant behind the Dhar family's small Rhode Island group, open on Thayer Street since 1987 and still serving the kabobs and curries that gave it its name. Its sister restaurants, Rasoi and Rasa, carry the same family recipes to Pawtucket and beyond.

Rasoi is the Dhar family's Pawtucket dining room, part of the same small group behind Kabob and Curry and Rasa on Thayer Street. It shares a multi-tenant East Avenue plaza with Wildflour and Garden Grille, and serves the same family of Indian dishes in a Pawtucket-scaled room.